KATE MIDDLETONS'S CRUSH ON ALPACA

Kate Middleton's crush on Alpaca

At the start of the year the fashion flock’s feathers were joyfully ruffled by no other than the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton who stepped out wearing an Alpaca hat by the renowned milliners Lock & Co, perfectly fitting for Royal Sunday Church at Sandringham. It’s not the first time our fashion forward Duchess has worn Alpaca, last Autumn she was seen wearing an Alpaca coat by Toronto based designer Bojana Sentaler, who delightfully saw a sell-out of the coat and huge demand for her brand. But a question so often raised when Kate Middleton covets her Alpaca wardrobe is, what exactly is Alpaca? Allow us to explain...

What is Alpaca?

Alpaca is a yarn imported from Peru where the animals are bred specifically for their fiber but the passing of the animals is entirely from natural causes. Alpacas breed in volatile temperatures, freezing temperatures can stoop to -20 degrees and summers peak at 30 degrees, this results in the lusciousness of the fiber being incredibly lightweight yet conveying high insulation.  Embroiled in an industry where fashion and the use of luxury fabrics can cross an ethical line, Alpaca is recognized as an ethical fur/fiber, kudos to the Duchess!

Alpaca at Paul James Knitwear

As a knitwear factory operating for the last 30 years we have worked with an abundance of yarns, from delicate cashmeres and the finest merino wool so it was only natural for us to explore the possibilities of incorporating Alpaca in our collections. With the luxuriousness of the fiber combined with the durability Alpaca is a great yarn to be using for both traditional and modern technology at the Paul James factory. 

Happy Alpaca Feet

Now we know Kate Middleton has the hats and coats covered but are her toes kept as toasty as ours? At Paul James we have an assortment of luxury Alpaca socks from our delightful Alpaca socks collection.Introducing our Everyday Alpaca Socks, a light-weight sock which boasts durability so whether you’re after desk-side luxury or shopping spree comfort the Everyday Alpaca sock is essential to your drawers. Our Paul James Alpaca Everyday Socks are composed of 55% Alpaca and 45% Nylon assuring great durability throughout the season. Available to buy in an array of colours, Light grey and Ecru for our Duchesses and Jet Black, Brown and Navy for the gents.

For our active Paul James customers, we have the fantastic Walking Alpaca sock, great for layering with your hiking boots, composed of 75% Alpaca and 25% Nylon our Alpaca Walking sock guarantee’s an abundance of warmth and comfort with its impressive cushion sole.

And lastly our absolute favourite the Alpaca Bed sock, our go to comfort seeking Alpaca essential for these cold wintery nights, allow your feet to sink into the divines of the Alpaca Bed sock with the feeling of a cashmere slipper and the warmth of a hot water bottle, once discovered you won’t be able to snuggle up without your Alpaca Bed socks firmly on, composed of 90% Alpaca and 10% Nylon our Alpaca Bed socks have the highest Alpaca content to match the highest level of comfort and are available in Hazy Blue, Misty Pink and classic Ecru.

Whether you’re just an ultimate comfort seeker or love the idea of gifting someone the luxury of true coziness, the Paul James Alpaca sock range is a guaranteed winner, after all who doesn’t want to have happy feet?!

Every Day Alpaca socks

For the fashion forward, if you’re an everyday Alpaca kinda’ girl then don’t shy away from styling your Alpaca Everyday sock with a pair of killer heels and a midi skirt for a chic and stylish look, adding necessary comfort to your feet when coveting your Manolo’s and why not add a Paul James chunky crop Aran sweater to complete the look.

Also featuring (Top Right) Paul James Vintage Crop Jumper in Black 

 
Walking Alpaca socks 

 The Alpaca Walking Sock is perfect for effortless country style, we’re all for khaki and neutral tones at Paul James Knitwear, our Ecru Walking socks will look great folded over brown suede boots, styled with your go to chinos and gilet, or with our Merino moss stitch jumper – a polished gents look for a weekend stroll… to the pub

Also featuring (Top Left) Paul James Moss Stitch Roll Neck Jumper in Ecru and our Unisex Extra-Fine Merino Wool Scarf in Black (Bottom Left)

Alpaca Bed socks

Sunday style couldn’t get any cosier with this look, team your favourite silk pj’s with the Paul James cowl neck chunky jumper and our misty pink Alpaca Bed socks – home lounging the elite way. 

Also featuring (Top Right) Paul James Cowl Neck Jumper in Ecru


Disclaimer: Paul James Knitwear Owns all rights to the product images in this blog but other images have been used as styling references in which case all rights and credits go to their rightful owners. Inspiration photos were taken from Pinterest.