Meghan Markle has dominated headlines recently with her fashion choices, with one red dress sparking plenty of reaction online.
When attending a gala for a children’s hospital earlier this month, the Duchess of Sussex was seen re-wearing her glamorous red gown by Carolina Herrera, which she previously wore in 2021.
When she first debuted the dress, just a year after quitting life as a senior member of the Royal Family with her husband, Prince Harry, the gown had a flowing skirt.
However, fast-forward three years, and the skirt has gone, and the dress has become much more figure-hugging and revealing.
While fashion does change over the years, fashion editor Amber Graafland, who has 25 years of experience in the industry, believes that changing the outfit in this way could be the result of her new fashion freedom, something she may not have had when part of the Royal Family.
According to The Sun, Amber told Fabulous: “The restrictions on what she can and can’t wear are far less rigid these days.
“Take the red Carlina Herrera gown that she altered for the LA Children’s Hospital Gala earlier this year.
“This clever tweak transformed the gown from a conservative style to one exuding red carpet-worthy glamour.
“Now that Meghan is no longer restricted by royal protocol, she doesn’t have to watch her necklines or her hemlines. While Kate’s seamstress is busy making sure her clothes don’t ever reveal too much, Meghan only has to worry about looking her best and maximising her camera angles.”
The duchess, 43, had previously spoken about restricting her outfit choices when she was part of the Firm, including what colour she wore.
In the docuseries Harry and Meghan, released on Netflix in 2022, Meghan said: “To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event, but then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same colour as one of the other, more senior members of the family.
“So I was like, ‘Well, what’s a colour that they’ll probably never wear?’ Camel? Beige? White? So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it also was so I could just blend in.
“Like, I’m not trying to stand out here. So there’s no version of me joining this family and trying to not do everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.”