On her recent visit to Wales, Princess Kate stepped out in a bright red coat in a unique pattern that kept royal fashion bloggers and experts guessing. Textile historians were quick to identify the classic Welsh tapestry fabric as a traditional weaving style created in Wales, but the coat baffled royal fashion sleuths. Finally, the coat was identified as a vintage design from Dillad Dwyryd Cymru, a manufacturer of traditional Welsh tapestry clothing dating back to the 1960s.
Princess Kate’s coat featured large buttons and a swinging design that belongs in a 1960s fashion magazine, with some telltale details that pointed to its vintage origins. Vintage fashion is often hailed as the most sustainable way to shop, as older designs tend to be made from higher-quality fabrics and finishing—which means items last longer, and won’t need to be replaced.
John Rowley, owner of vintage store Vintage Velvet, agrees. He told SNATCH, a vintage fashion digital magazine, that “you’ll probably find that if something made 20 years ago stood the test of time, it will probably last another 20 years.” Vintage fashions tend to last longer, and are far more responsibly made than modern designs. “I think it’s much better than it is today,” Rowley said, before adding “fast fashion churns out crap.”
Princess Kate has added several vintage pieces to her wardrobe in recent years, from a 1980s Oscar de la Renta ruffled polka dot cocktail dress to an elegant wicker handbag. These pieces all have a unique style and soul to them that can’t be replicated in modern designs. The Dillad Dwyryd coat perfectly exemplifies this charm: the bold, orangey-red print should be garish, but in this outfit it looks completely chic.
The Princess of Wales has committed special interest to textile manufacturing and, as a consequence, quality construction and design of clothing. It may be a while before we see her in another Zara sale rack jacket, when beautiful Welsh wool tapestry coats exist in the vintage market.
