Spring Fashion Preview
Kate Middleton's favorite designer channels Marilyn Monroe in sexy new collection
Jenny Packham is Kate Middleton's go-to for special events — the trend-setting duchess often shows up wearing a Packham design to major functions — but right now the British designer seems more obsessed with an American icon: Marilyn Monroe.
In putting together her spring 2015 collection, Packham was so taken with the blonde bombshell film star than she even wrote a smash note to Monroe in her New York Fashion Week notes, admitting that she had "listened to the recordings, visited your bungalow at the Beverly Hills (Hotel) and sat in your chair at the Max Factor building where you became a blonde, all the while challenging why you are still so relevant in this brave new world."
Packham's interpretation of Monroe's style isn't literal but instead shows up in 1950s Technicolor shades of red, yellow, flamingo pink and pale jade; palm print patterns (a reference to the wallpaper in Monroe's Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow); and "wiggle" dresses cut close to the body.
Form-fitting illusion gowns in tulle and sequins pay homage to the classic "nude" cocktail dress Monroe wore in Some Like It Hot, while jewel-encrusted jackets with matching purses from Packham's accessory collection look like something a woman who learned how to marry a millionaire would wear.
Packham also showcased classic ball gowns with voluminous skirts in stark pewter or chocolate shades and eye-catching floral patterns. These creations seems less bombshell and more fit for a princess — or Duchess of Cambridge.
I guess Packham figures every woman wants to look like royalty at least one time in her life.