White bolero requests on the rise as Kate’s Royal Wedding outfit inspires yet another trend

By Lauren Paxman
Updated: 12:24 EST, 3 October 2011

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Trend setter: The Duchess of Cambridge wearing her second wedding outfit - which included this cute white angora bolero

The Duchess of Cambridge's stunning Alexander McQueen wedding dress has made lace an even more popular trend for 2011 brides.

But it is not sweetheart necklines under V-neck lace that women are imitating. Even the brief glimpse of a white angora bolero has sparked an increase in sales of similar items.

Catherine changed into a different outfit for her evening wedding reception in Buckingham Palace. She chose another beautiful white Alexander McQueen gown. But this time Prince William's wife covered her shoulders with a small jumper.

And now brides all over the world want to do the same.

Fashion stylist and writer Clare Mukherjee, who is based in the U.S., has been sourcing long white dresses for years.

But since the Royal Wedding, it is finding fluffy long-sleeved tops that have been giving her a real headache.

Writing on The Huffington Post, she said: 'At first glance, the bolero seemed rather unnecessary and extraneous.

'However, the more I examined the Duchess' look, the more I grew to love and understand the purpose of the bolero.

'The angora knit brought a softness and true femininity to her look. It was also a practical move, England in April can be rather cold, and I'm sure the bolero allowed the duchess to relax and be comfortable, and what bride doesn't want that on their wedding night?'

But where to find a similarly simple top?

'Not everyone can call up Sarah Burton and the McQueen team and ask them to whip one up,' Mukherjee notes.

It turns out that although bridal shops have been slow to stock up on the tops, there are a few similar shrugs on the high street.

But they are unlikely to be available for much longer. As the autumn eventually starts to get cooler, brides will be ripping the angora tops off the shelves.

Monsoon has an especially tempting £45 Alice Angora Shrug with three quarter length sleeves. The company declined to comment on how many more of the jumpers they had sold following the Royal Wedding, although they are clearly catering for a marrying market.

Emma, from London wrote on the Monsoon website: 'I brought this as a cover up for my wedding day, I put it on with my dress and WOW it looks and feels wonderful....very Kate Middleton. Can't wait to wear [it] on my big day.'

Copy-Kate: Monsoon has an especially tempting £45 Alice Angora Shrug with three quarter length sleeves

Mel, also from the UK added: 'This shrug reminds me of something Catherine Middleton wore the evening of her wedding. I bought it to wear for my October wedding over my Oyster colour dress.'

Debenhams has a wider range of boleros that would look pretty over a white dress and the department store has seen a constant, week on week increase in sales of shrugs and boleros since the Royal Wedding.

Some weeks have been up, up to 42 per cent on last year. Currently the chain is up 69 per cent cumulatively compared to last year.

It is not just the pale versions that have been snapped up either.

Carie Barkhuizen, Debenhams spokesperson, told MailOnline: 'Although white and ivory are proving popular in this category, our experts believe that women are buying into the shrug trend created by Catherine, but in darker colours that are easier to team with a broader range of outfits.'