Princess Charlotte's Christening (Photo : Kensington Palace Press Office)
Like his mother Kate Middleton, Prince George - who is turning 2 on Wednesday - is a trend setter when it comes to clothes he wears. Anything he dons and is publicized becomes a windfall for the designer because Brits would immediately snap up apparel of the same design.
Such is likely the case for the Rachel Riley smock he wore for the birthday photo that Kensington Palace Press Office released ahead of the natal day. The white top with geometric designs on the collar, sleeves and breast and red shorts was the attire that Prince George wore during the christening of his sister Princess Charlotte on July 5.
According to Daily Mail, Riley is a children's clothes designer known for old-world-style-smock dresses that children of Hollywood A-listers wear. It makes the wearer feel like he or she lives "in a picturesque 16th century chateau, nestled deep in the Loire Valley" which Riley calls home, although she shuttles between Paris and London.
The photo shows Prince George held by his father, Prince William. LA Times points out that his toothy grin shows the royal toddler's predicament, which was trying to move out from the arms of his father who was leaning into the foreground.
Taken by photographer Mario Testino, the image would likely go viral. It was taken at the gardens at Sandringham House. The smock was identical to what Prince William wore when he was about the same age as his son now when he was photographed in 1984 for the first time with his newborn brother, Prince Harry.
Riley, a Cambridge graduate and mother of three, modeled for seven years in TV commercials and fashion shows in top global fashion capitals such as Paris, New York and Tokyo. She took a pattern-cutting course in Paris, but lacking a fashion design training did not stop her from succeeding in the smock business. During the early days of the business, clothes she sold were hand-sewn in her studio in Loire Valley by local seamstresses. However, with the success of her clothing brand, Riley had the production offshored to Hong Kong.
