And yet, in 2024, The Vampire’s Wife shuttered. A statement cited ‘upheaval in the wholesale market,’ and reports surfaced of difficulties with HMRC. In a heartfelt farewell, Susie thanked her loyal supporters with ‘undying gratitude.’ Tributes flooded in from the label’s famous fans, including Alexa Chung, Claudia Winkleman, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Kate Moss.
But back to Bea: through the princess the brand is enjoying an afterlife, reborn in the wardrobe of one of its most devoted patrons.
Over the weekend, Beatrice resurrected the The Sky Rocket, a shimmering navy gown from her personal archive, for the birthday celebrations of friend Emma Pilkington. The short-sleeved maxi, trimmed in the brand’s signature ruffles, was previously seen on the Princess at a 2023 event in New York. Photographed and posted to Instagram by Alice Naylor-Leyland, Beatrice styled the look with a glittering rainbow box clutch by Charlotte Olympia, as identified by Instagram account Royal Fashion Daily.
With her penchant for The Vampire’s Wife’s rich jewel tones and metallics, Princess Beatrice has long been a champion of the label. For the opening of the BBC Earth Experience in 2023, she opted for a midnight Corduroy Festival dress. She dazzled in a pink Toto gown for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her emerald-hued favourite was worn on countless occasions.
Of course, she’s in regal company. The brand reached its zenith of cultural relevance when Kate Middleton wore its emerald Falconetti dress on a 2020 trip to Dublin. Vogue dubbed it ‘dress of the decade’ and the very same dress was immortalised in paint through Jamie Coreth’s first official portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
