英準王妃透視裙走紅 或升值至10萬英鎊

It cost a mere £30 to cobble together. But the see-through black slip credited with helping Kate Middleton catch the eye of a prince could one day be worth £100,000.

William was mesmerised by his fellow student as she sashayed down the catwalk in the outfit at a university fashion show eight years ago.

Designer Charlotte Todd, who admitted the dress has been languishing at the back of her wardrobe ever since, has been told its value has rocketed to £10,000 since the couple announced their engagement.

And according to one auction house, that could increase ten-fold when Kate becomes Queen.

Yesterday Miss Todd, 31, said there was little chance of her parting with it. ‘The dress is a part of fashion history – the moment William could first have fallen in love with Kate – and that makes me really proud,’ she said.

‘If it hadn’t been see-through, William might not have noticed her. I definitely think it has a played a part in the royal love story.

‘She looked fabulous and I think she could become a style icon like Princess Diana.

The only person I’d probably give it to is her – maybe in exchange for a wedding invitation. Of course I would love to design her wedding dress too.’

Miss Todd made the black and gold dress while studying fashion and textiles at the University of the West of England in 2000.

It took a week to knit together the silk fabrics and add a blue ribbon trim for a project appropriately called ‘the art of seduction’.

Two years later St Andrew’s University, where William and Kate were both studying, asked to borrow it for a fundraising fashion show.

Kate was friends with William, then 19, but is thought to have been dating her first university boyfriend Rupert Finch at the time.

But that didn’t stop William admiring her. The second in line to the throne was pictured craning his neck to see the stunning brunette. After the show the dress was returned to Miss Todd, who packed it away in her mother’s wardrobe where it has remained ever since.

Miss Todd, from Bedminster, Bristol, said: ‘Kate was a great clothes horse to show off my design. Her body was the exact right shape to pull it off.’

Christine Satchett, from South London auctioneer Greasbys, said: ‘In years to come if Kate was on the throne it could reach up to £100,000. It was the same with Princess Diana’s clothes.’

英國準王妃凱特•米德爾頓被認爲憑藉一身透視裝俘獲了威廉王子，而這件原價僅30英鎊的透視裝今後有望升值至10萬英鎊。

八年前，當凱特身着透視裝在大學時裝展的T臺上走秀時，威廉就被這位美女同學迷住了。

兩人宣佈婚訊後，這身透視裝的設計者夏洛特•託德被告知它已升值至1萬英鎊。託德坦承在那場時裝展後，這件透視裝就沒再拿出來過。

據一家拍賣行稱，在凱特成爲王后之時，這件透視裝將升值至目前的10倍。

31歲的託德昨日稱，自己不打算賣掉這件透視裝。她說：“這條裙子已經載入時裝史冊，見證了威廉王子最初愛上凱特的時刻，這使我非常自豪。”

“如果不是透視裝，威廉可能不會注意到她。我確信它促成了這段王室羅曼史。”

“凱特穿着這件透視裝的樣子美極了，我覺得她會成爲像戴安娜王妃一樣的時尚偶像。”

“我只可能把它送給凱特，或許用它來換張婚禮請柬，當然我非常樂意爲她設計婚紗。”

託德小姐2000年在西英格蘭大學就讀時裝和紡織品專業時製作了這件黑金色透視裝。

她用一週的時間縫製起絲綢面料，還加了一條藍絲帶。這件透視裝原本是爲一個名爲“誘惑的藝術”的項目製作的。

兩年後，威廉和凱特就讀的聖安德魯斯大學爲一場慈善時裝展向她借走了這件服裝。

當年19歲的威廉和凱特已經相識，但據稱凱特當時正與大學時代的第一任男友魯伯特•芬奇交往。

但這並未阻止威廉對她的愛慕。媒體拍攝到了這位英國王位第二繼承人探身欣賞皮膚略黑的美女凱特的場景。時裝展後，這件透視裝被還給了託德小姐，此後她一直把它放在母親的衣櫥裏。

來自布裏斯托爾貝德明斯特的託德小姐說：“對於展示我的時裝設計作品來說，凱特是個完美的‘衣架’。她的身材恰好適合穿着我設計的服裝。”

倫敦南部格里斯比拍賣行的克里斯廷•薩切特說：“如果將來凱特登上王后寶座，這件衣服會漲到10萬英鎊，就像戴安娜王妃的衣服一樣。”

Vocabulary:

see-through: transparent（透明的）

mesmerise:to spellbind; fascinate（迷住，吸引）

sashay:to move or walk in a showy way; parade（大搖大擺地走，神氣地走）

crane:to stretch out one's neck, esp. to see better（爲了看得更清楚而探着身子，伸長脖子）

brunette: (of a person) having dark hair and, often, dark eyes and darkish or olive skin.（淺黑膚色的女人）

clothes horse: 講究衣着的人，“衣架子”