Duchess Kate has a trick for standing in high heels, and it may end up helping one British company blow up.
This week, Kate Middleton opened up about how she’s able to survive while wearing tight-fitting and often awkward high heels all the time. Duchess Kate said her trick is to use inserts made by Alice Bow .
“Kate recently bought several pairs of Alice Bow insoles at the Selfridges department store in London. She picked up versions of the insole for both flat shoes and heels in an assortment of colors,” a source told Us Weekly , adding, “The Duchess is a fan of the brand.”
The insoles would seem to explain how Duchess Kate is able to wear high heels just about everywhere she goes, even when she was eight months pregnant.
Us Weekly explained what makes the insoles so special.
“Well, according to the London-based brand, each insole, which is specifically designed to cushion the ball of the foot, boasts high-quality padding wrapped in premium Italian leather. There are stickies on the back of each insole to hold it in place, if needed; plus, they’re shaped to be worn with open-toed shoes, too.”
Anyone who doubts Duchess Kate’s trick for high heels should take a look back to last year, when during a trip to New Zealand she picked up a cricket bat and took a swing — all while wearing high heels. While Kate’s intense faces while playing cricket got quite a bit of attention too, the incident showed that Kate is certainly capable of doing just about anything in heels.
The trick Duchess Kate has for walking in high heels might have other effects beyond helping Kate stay comfortable. The Duchess has sparked something known as the Kate Middleton effect, in which products she’s seen wearing or buying (either for herself or her two children) ends up becoming wildly popular. In fact, some items she’s bought for Prince George were so incredibly popular that they sold out within hours of Kate being spotted with them.
“The Kate Effect may be worth £1 billion to the UK fashion industry,” Newsweek noted. Tony DiMasso, L. K. Bennett’s US president added, “when she does wear something, it always seems to go on a waiting list.”
This could be the cast for Alice Bow, which appears to be a small British company. On the website, Rachel Bowditch explained how she came up with the now-famous inserts.
“Like most of you reading this, I’m proud of my busy lifestyle. I work hard, travel as much as I can and love to shop and socialise. Sadly lots of my shoes, beautiful though they are, often couldn’t keep up with me, delivering shocked heels and blistered balls on a regular basis.
All I wanted was to be comfortable in my favourite shoes (quite a simple desire) but couldn’t bear to put unsightly insoles into my pride possessions in case anyone saw them when I slipped them off. So I started to make my own.”
Those who want to copy Duchess Kate’s trick to walking in high heels can find the Alice Bow website here — but if history is any indication, they will be gone quickly.
[Image via Getty Images]
