Kate, the fashion icon, gives London fashion a buzz (Feature)

By Anna Tomforde Feb 18, 2011, 11:05 GMT

London - When it comes to what's hot and what's not, there is only one name on everybody's lips at London Fashion Week: that of Kate Middleton, Britain's royal bride-to-be.

With just 10 weeks to go until the wedding on April 29, Prince William's fiancee has captured the imagination of fashionistas around the globe.

Ever since she appeared in the figure-hugging, royal blue dress of Brazilian designer Daniella Helayel, creator of the Issa label, to announce her engagement, Kate has been admired for her effortless style.

Helayel, said one fashion analyst, had given Kate what a British girl needs most: colour and swing. The dress is sold out, and copies have multiplied.

As a result, Issa London has become one of the most sought-after labels at London Fashion Week (LFW), which opened on Friday.

'She (Helayel) is the designer who can get British working women out of black and beige without looking like they're on a beach holiday,' commented the Evening Standard newspaper.

Fashion designers everywhere are hoping that the princess-to-be may boost their own kudos by choosing to wear one of their outfits. That includes a somewhat indiscreet Victoria Beckham, who let it be known that Kate had made inquiries about her latest collection.

'It's tremendously exciting and I would be honoured if she were to wear my designs,' the former popstar revealed. 'I admire her tremendously. She's a beautiful young girl, and she wears clothes beautifully.'

'The ultimate Posh frock - fit for a princess,' headlined the Guardian newspaper.

But Kate, who used to be seen in safe check skirts, black polo necks and knee-high boots from the Jigsaw chain for which she once worked, has played her cards in the fashion stakes close to her chest.

As her style has grown in elegance, a slim waistline and just-above-the-knee hemline have become the hallmarks of Middleton's wardrobe, invariably carried off in a laidback style.

Her top secret wedding dress, it is rumoured, will be a 'modest' affair, reflecting the austere economic times.

Fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, who is believed to have won the coveted commission to create Middleton's bridal gown, has predicted that the outfit, despite being demure, would create a 'strong reaction' when the royal bride arrives at Westminster Abbey.

In keeping with royal tradition, there would be a veil, added Oldfield, while not confirming that he had been chosen to design the gown.

'I'm sure the dress is going to be modest in terms of coverage - it has to be. It will have sleeves, it has to have sleeves,' he said.

'You can't walk down Westminster Abbey in a strapless dress. It just wouldn't happen. It has to suit the grandeur of that aisle, it's enormous,' Oldfield told US breakfast show Good Morning America.

However, other designer labels, including the company of the late Catherine Walker, and bridal fashion firm Phillipa Lepley, have also been mentioned in connection with the wedding dress commission.

Oldfield, 60, was one of the favourite designers of the late Princess Diana, but also dresses Jordan's Queen Rania and countless Hollywood stars.

He went out of his way to praise Middleton's style and described her as a 'down-to-earth woman.'

'Whatever she wears, she is going to look great because she is gorgeous. She's slim, she's elegant, she is aware of herself,'he said.

'When you see her moving, she is not a shy, shrinking violet. But she is a normal, ordinary girl who happens to have bagged the big one.'

Read more about Great Britain Royalty

Read more about Fashion

Read more about Wedding