We reflect on Meghan Markle’s biggest statement looks from her first royal tour with Prince Harry, and garner the lessons we can apply to our wardrobes.
Megan Markle has had quite the year, hasn’t she? Since tying the knot with Prince Harry and joining the royal family as the Duchess of Sussex, she has announced that she is pregnant and has completed her first royal tour, flying to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand to speak about women’s suffrage.
The agenda for the trip was environmental conservation and education, but that didn’t stop Meghan (who often changed outfits several times a day) from giving us a lesson or two in wardrobing. With that in mind, here are all the fashion tips we learned from Meghan’s first royal tour.
The forever jacket
A trench coat really is the most versatile outerwear you can invest in. Swing it over a shift dress with flats in the day and it feels casual. Wrap yourself up in with an evening dress and it still feels totally appropriate. Need something to finish off jeans and jumper, look no further than your trench coat. Purposeful and economic, if you haven’t already got your outerwear staple, Meghan has proved it’s a must-have.
The new dress length
For the royal tour, Meghan added her own twist to the on-trend midi length by lengthening it to just above the ankle. The result? An effortlessly chic ensemble.
The white blazer
When it comes to traditional tailoring combinations, it doesn’t get more classic than a black blazer with a white shirt. Meghan, keen to turn tradition on its head, opted for a white blazer and black shirt, naturally. She later opted for a cream striped blazer with black jeans and a black roll neck, suggesting this might just be her own refreshing stamp on smart casual.
The new black
Dark enough that it still feels like an occasion, but not as sombre as its sooty counterpart, it seems navy is Meghan’s new black. Don’t believe us? Check out her tuxedo dress, or that knitted dress, or even her Roksanda dress.
The princess dress
What makes a real princess? Is it the tiara resting on her head? Or the diamonds siting on her neckline? No, it’s a Safiyaa blue floor length shift dress with a cape attached that you wear to state dinner. Chic and understated, yet entirely regal, consider this your surefire route to feeling like a princess.
The dress that keeps giving
If there is one item in our wardrobes we have rolled out time and time again this year, it’s this: a long sleeve midi length dress – often belted, and often printed. And it seems even duchesses can’t help but fall for this wardrobe hero, as Meghan opted for a printed ruffle dress by Figue in Fiji, and Self-Portait, Vanessa Beard and Martin Grant numbers in Tonga. Be prepared to roll this style out again during spring summer 2019.
The Noughties revisited
Even Meghan can’t help but fall into the trap of revisiting a nostalgic dressing moment. For most people, it has been dad trainers or an anorak jacket, for Meghan Markle it was a peplum top. Whilst the peplum hemline has been dated back much further than the Noughties (it actually hails from Ancient Greece), we have long ditched the fit and flare shape in favour looser silhouettes. But maybe it’s time to make like Meghan and consider a more niche fad when hell bent on bringing back our nostalgic wardrobe staples.
Images: Getty
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