Here are more photos of the Duchess of Sussex’s surprise appearance at Smart Works today. Smart Works is one of Meghan’s new patronages, just announced today. Smart Works helps lower-income women dress and prepare for careers and jobs – they coach women for job interviews and help with their work wardrobes.
For this surprise appearance, Meghan kept it simple, and lord knows the girl loves a trench coat. Trench coats to Meghan are what buttons are to Kate: her greatest love and biggest obsession. Meghan wore a Hatch dress (Hatch is a maternity line) which retails for £170. She paired it with a £2000 Oscar de la Renta trench coat, a £900 Victoria Beckham purse. I maintain that the purses and jewelry are good investments, but a £2000 maternity trench coat seems like a bad investment, honestly.
At Smart Works, Meghan spoke a lot, and she didn’t mind if it was on camera:
Video: #Meghan speaking to the group about how important is it to restore confidence through coaching and clothes pic.twitter.com/WMcKFHRujo
— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) January 10, 2019
It’s also worth noting that Meghan really has been making a lot of private visits to research which charities would be the best fit. She apparently visited Smart Works four or five times before today:
#Meghan first visited @SmartWorksHQ in March last year & has been back 4/5 times since. She’s been very “hands-on” and has actually coached some women for job interviews. She’s made a “big difference already” said chairwoman Juliet “has fantastic empathy” & “is a natural”! pic.twitter.com/vmWktU15kZ
— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) January 10, 2019
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and Avalon Red.
She looks outstanding!
Absolutely!
She looks super cute
I think she looks messy with that jacket – being open and wrinkly. Another expensive trench coat….I don’t get why she is getting a pass on this spending from so many people here.
A lot of the clothes/jewelry that she is getting grief for were previously owned pre-Harry and she is getting held to a higher standard than Kate was. Kate’s jewelry wasn’t counted in her total outfits and Kate wears a lot of bespoke clothes so no one can figure out the cost of things.
From what I have read, she wore this same outfit in their trip to Australia.
Was trying to find the article but can’t.
Swack – same outfit look as in a black dress and trench coat. But, they are different items.
I agree. This outfit was not a repeat Oscar De la Renta released a statement saying this was a new coat from their most current collection.
From what I have read, Kate was raked over the coals from 2012 onwards because of her spending. Every little purchase of hers has been added up, so I’m not seeing anything different happening to Meghan. People will criticise when you spend public money. Like I said below, the bulk of her new wardrobe is from the new collections. The pre-owned few shoes, a few bags here and there are minuscule.
Meghan is teaching women how to dress for interviews while wearing a 2500 pounds Oscar de la Renta brand new jacket in a shop that sells second clothing for women. This shop sells second hand clothing. She should have simply re-worn one of her many expensive trench coats. That is now the headline in the British media.
It never ceases to amaze me how the Royal Family can’t manage to read the room and anticipate headlines. The courtiers and staff do them no favours.
A timely reminder to all CBers about how the Royals are just like us!!!! Clicking around in designer gear and understated jewels. Just like me!!!
Seriously, Megan might work more than Kate but let’s not pretend she isn’t enjoying the perqs of royalty.
I own this same coat. It’s nearly two years old and I bought it on sale a year and a half ago for $1200. It’s quite possible that she has owned this for that long as well. It’s only the headline because the press in the UK is racist. They will always find something to poke at her for while propping up the silent, white future ‘queen consort’.
You think they expected her to show up in an outfit from Target?
She probably threw away all of her affordable pieces back when she had the Sayonara Zara party.
Oscar de la Renta released a statement that this is a new coat from their most current collection: Resort 2019. It is not a repeat.
They don’t sell the clothing. They give it away freely to women who need it. It took me less than two seconds with Google to learn that…
Go back and re-read the DM archive on Kate, no way were they propping her up back then lool.
You make it sound like they’re handing out retreads from Old Navy.
And as others have said, they’re giving, not selling the items.
A place like SmartWorks attracts donations from women interested in passing along good quality clothing that can be of use to others. I donated a significant portion of my professional wardrobe to a similar organization after I stopped working. Another commenter said she’s given them a couple of suits.
The woman in green above was getting a “capsule wardrobe” for a new job and was photographed elsewhere in a lovely camel/honey colored cape, which Harper’s Bazaar identified as Hobbs. According to them, SmartWorks also gets labels like Burberry and Jigsaw (in addition to Kate Spade, LK Bennett, Marks and Spencer and Whistles). Not quite Oscar de la Renta level perhaps, but still nice.
Totally. And can we talk shoes? Gorgeous – pulled the look together.
She has good taste in shoes. I like the variety – not all samey .
SERIOUSLY, how is no one mentioning those?! Drooling over them!
Solid colors, clean lines, an interesting shoe – always flattering. She looks great!
Absolutely Gorgeous! Wow.
She looks great but those shoes are killing me, empathy pain.
Yay for wearing actual maternity clothes!! The coat isn’t my style but she looks cute.
I think the coat is just a larger size, not maternity, and still it swamps her. But I love her look, sans coat. Smart, professional, engaged… Nothing that would take center stage away from the project. She looks amazing.
And who knows… she may quietly decide to donate her clothes to this place once she’s done with them…?
LOL!!!!’ Yeah, no,,,,
It looks to me like a swing coat. Swing coats do look maternity, which is why I’ll never wear one.
It is expensive but can probably be altered after they’re done having kids. I’m sure this coat isn’t a one and done deal.
I think they would rather have the money!!
Love the swing coat. You have to be slender like Meghan to pull it off.
She actually DID donate a handbag to Smartwork.
@KidV- I also thought swing coat.
I’m sure The dailyFAIL will find some way to make Meghan the bad guy here
Oh boy, the comments section on that story on the DM website today are absolutely horrendous.
The Daily Racist. I don’t even read their stories anymore
She’s ruining the monarchy! Lol.
Like, if the monarchy can be taken down by Meghan’s presence alone, it must not have been a very strong one to begin with.
Wearing the coat indoors like that makes it look like she’s itching to leave.
I hope that’s not what people think! I’m personally constantly freezing so I wear my coat indoors sometimes. Now I’m wondering if I’ve unintentionally been rude lol
A character on the Big Bang Theory, Johnny Galeki, has almost never taken his coat off on that show. I can recall twice in eleven years, where he was seen in a T-shirt. He always has a coat on.
I’m the same way. I’m extremely cold intelorant and often have to leave my coat on indoors or I’ll be miserable. I also hope nobody has ever taken offense!
My mother hates it. If you don’t take it off within five minutes of entering her home, she’s got at least one passive aggressive comment about how long you’re staying ready to go lol.
Me too!! I’m always freezing!
She took it off eventually. There are tons of pics and video with her inside without her coat on.
Right?! Why is it so difficult for folks to take in all of the information? It’s clear she took her coat off.
I loathe an inside coat. Kate does it too, and it always looks like she’s only planning to stay for a bit before bolting.
The Queen does it as well.
There are pictures above with her not wearing the coat. Looks like you are looking for something to attack her on.
Except that she took off the coat and spent time with the people.
Except that she took off the coat and spent time with the people.
She took it off. You’re scraping the bottom of the barrel to find something to complain about. It’s cold and damp where she is, maybe she just needed to warm up. Sheesh….
Yup, the hater aid is strong in some. Lol
I just have to laugh at what some find to pick at her for.
It says more about THEM. Really.
She took it off. See the photo of her without it? Emily Andrews’ tweet? How else could people now complain about her ‘too tight’ dress?
C’mon folks, this is a good thing she & the organization are doing.
She took it off.
Meghan was engaged, talkative, helpful.
She went there ALREADY 4-5 times. Jeez. Louise.
WHO CARES if she left her coat on. lol
My best friend wears her coat inside all of the time. She told me that sometimes she cooks dinner in her coat. I can’t imagine it; I’m overheated all of the time, more so when I cook… plus I’d get food all over my coat, especially the sleeves.
Oh my days, Kate has always been criticised on here for keeping her coat on….
Wish we could see her shoes a bit more. I find myself noticing her shoes more than anything else. And yes, the trench coat love is strong in the one. Her stuggle is real.
Great to see her out and about. She alwaya enagages and looks so happy to be out soing this job. Good for her!
Tom and Lorenzo have pictures of them. They’re a cute print. I’m so glad she didn’t wear those same aquazurra ones she always wears.
Oh gosh! I hope the people that keep complaining that Meghan wears too many new things didn’t hear you say that.
Yes love the shoes!
Yes, she has mostly a great shoe game, this is a lovely outfit.
Classic and simple, I love that she is holding the gloves in her hands, very classy and lady like.
I’m glad that she is stylish without being fashionista, it would be really wrong for a BRF member to be chasing the latest and greatest fashion.
Models and actors should be fashionistas.
I just wish she would re-wear shoes, coats, jewelry and handbags with different clothes more often.
Lucky she has much better taste than KATE with her UGLY MASSIVE WEDGES and
HIDEOUS OLD LOOKING PUMPS.
But she is following all the latest fashion and trends lol. She isn’t wearing classic pieces. Most of her pieces will be out of fashion in a while. And if you spend that much on fashionable clothing and couture, yes, you are aspiring to be a fashionista. If you want to see the classic, and unmodern old fashioned look, take a look at Kate’s style.
I feel the trench was a bad investment given that, for £2000, they can’t even get it to not wrinkle.
I would love to see Meghan doing interview coaching – I bet she’d be pretty good at it!
She should teach a class on networking.
Best way to have no wrinkles is to have a blend that includes non-natural fibers. Maybe Meghan doesn’t like such fabrics; I know I don’t.
Another bit of insider gossip from someone who works at a news publication – Meghan is *beloved* by the journos and photographers who are scheduled to work these events. The papers themselves might give her a hard time, mostly because they know it shifts issues, but the people on the ground are very fond of her.
Mostly because she doesn’t go out of her way to make life harder for people trying to do their job by avoiding photo ops and angles that will make the money shot (*ahem* William.)
Diana II…..part of the reason why William is worried, Meghan like Diana is a photographers dream, and makes them tons of money.
I was very young when Diana died, so I don’t think I could make an accurate comparison, but I’ll take your word for it 😊
Totally disagree. They couldn’t be more opposite in appearance. One tall, leggy, blonde and the other petite and dark haired. Meghan has already lived longer than Diana. Why would William be worried. Makes no sense to me. Oh wow, not even close.
@Nancy…. because one woman is tall and blonde and the other shorter and dark, why is it not possible for both of them to be a goldmine for photographers? What has meghan living longer got anything to do with this? William may be worried because he was traumatised by intense media focus on absolutely every inch and aspect of his mother. He detests them and wants to keep them at arms length as much as possible. Meghan for so many reasons is attracting much more media and public attention to the royal family than his own wife.
I can see that PrincessK. The media are building themselves up into a frenzy about Meghan because it makes them money. Diana on a cover would increase circulation, Meghan now does the same by giving them traffic for any old story. Over exposure is as bad for the Royals as under exposure (IMO) I can see why the rest of the family might worry. It’s hard though, she does seem to naturally find the light or the lens, I don’t know if that’s training or something some people are born with and is part of what makes a good actress. How do you turn that off and still feel & look natural.
Meghan is married to the sixth in line to the throne. She will never be Diana II, and that’s ok. She can just be herself.
I also have read that the people who had or is working with her are very fond of Meghan and think she is terrific. It also noted that she put in a lot more effort than Kate. I’m not starting a fight, just paraphrasing what I read.
@Nancy – it isn’t a case of them looking alike, it’s that they both have charisma that comes across in photos. They both look fully engaged and happy to be with people. They both exude graciousness and Meghan has the added benefit of being a great public speaker.
Kate has her buttons, Meg has her trenches. They all cost way too much for how they look lol. This is probably my favorite trench that she has worn however.
Are her shoes black and white? I cant really tell. Her and Kate and the heels during pregnancy, I praise them lol I’m slippers all the way lmao.
I saw pictures that made them look like an animal print. Twitter tells me she had the shoes pre marriage.
Meghan has her gloves. She is always carrying a pair of gloves. It seems a little pretentious.
it’s winter…I always have gloves in winter, granted I’m in Canada and its wayy below freezing lol
She never actually wears the gloves, she just carries them. And it wasn’t winter at Eugenie’s wedding.
Not as much as signet rings.
I don’t know that I’d call it pretentious since she’s pretty much as high on the social ladder as you can get. It is an odd choice though and they could have fit into her purse, a pocket, or have been left in the car. No reason to juggle them and a purse while trying to greet people.
Perhaps her fingers get achey in the cold. Mine do, and October can be pretty cold in the UK, you know? I think it’s lovely that she carries them with her. I hope it encourages a glove revival!
Interesting take, to me the gloves in her hands looks like a classy woman from a by gone era.
Not a pretentious woman.
But I’m a bit obsessed with woman dressed in neutral colored, very classy and well tailored, simple pieces like pencil skirts, beautiful shoes and handbags.
Minimalist, clothes from very good quality materials, classy look, without the bra straps showing.
I carry my gloves the way Meghan does. My hands get cold, I am not pretentious.
Love the gloves. But then I’m old enough to remember when a dress coat worn without them was a fashion faux-pas.
She was carrying a pair of gloves at Prince Louis’ christening in July and at Eugenie’s wedding. Clearly the weather on both days did not require gloves. It is a very deliberate choice that has nothing to do with temperature.
Meghan holds her gloves because she needs something to hold on to.
Kate has the same needs but uses a purse.
Can’t understand how gloves are pretentious.
Is it a maternity trench coat though? She didn’t tie it so you can’t really tell the size. It looks flowy for sure but she likes that oversized coat look too.
Agree – and even if it is a maternity coat, she clearly loves a looser fit. I can definitely see this being used again after pregnancy!
No it’s just a large straight- sized coat.
It’s a straight-sized swing coat. Here’s a similar coat from last season:
https://tinyurl.com/yauffxwr
I don’t think it’s a maternity coat. I just quickly looked at Oscar de la Renta’s site to see if they had something comparable and this is the same cut as a coat they are currently selling. It’s cute, but given the price tag, I’m glad it’s not strictly maternity.
Not really a trench either, based on the design. Probably an A-line or swing coat, so it can button over the bump. Also, ODL doesn’t do maternity, I don’t think.
Considering the strength of her love, I think a £2000 maternity trench coat is a great investment. Let’s be happy for them both.
I love her clothing; I have very plain taste (lots of neutrals and classic cuts) and she dresses the way I would if I were rich with her figure.
Yes, I love her style too! Love love love it
Nice to see her in maternity wear! I hadn’t liked her last few outfits (that white one with the black pattern?) but this is solid. Her shoes are very fun! I’m wondering if they don’t announce her events ahead of time for security reasons?
Agh the clothing costs!!! She needs to tone it down!!!
Other than that, good for her!
Same. She looks great but dial back the spending, for appearance’s sake.
That’s a $216 dress and shoes she may have already owned. My dress + shoes cost more than that, and I’m sitting in a cube in Iowa.
But are you wearing a $2,000 coat and did you spend nearly half a million on clothes last year that was just a negative story about you? Maybe her first appearance of the year would have been a good time for a repeat (if anything still fits at this point in pregnancy) OR a less expensive ensemble. I honestly find it a little tone deaf to go to an event for low income women needing help dressing professionally in an outfit THAT expensive. Why not model affordable work clothes that look nice and that may be within their or the charity’s price point?
For heaven’s sake it’s a repeat!
No, all new pieces, except perhaps the shoes but that’s not confirmed. Brand new dress and coat. One of her many many other big coats would have worked for today
@Somegirl that half a million dollars price tag also included jewelry, so no, it wasn’t just on clothes.
LOVE this swing style coat paired with the close fitting maternity sheath dress. A++ from me.
Her passion for what she is doing is palpable. She cares and wants to be there helping – maybe it will rob off on others in that family. You really can’t help but compare.
Knowing she attended four or five times privately before this was announced also shows her interest.
Smart to make several visits, because if you choose it and then don’t like it, what a hassle.
I really like the coat, it reminds me of Grace Kelly’s maternity style. It’s expensive but a good investment to me because it looks like it would fit for the rest of the pregnancy and any future ones, but then again I’m not Meghan lol.
Her bump is sizable if the baby is due in spring.
I’m preggo and due in April and her bump is way bigger than mine so I think she has to be due in March.
I agree. Definitely March or very early April.
Just need to say that I LOVE all the shoes on display here. Meghan’s black & white print heels, that woman’s heels with the tassels at the heel, the floral flats, and, on the other thread, the leopard print pumps.
This will not be a popular comment but… the Oscar de la Renta coat is $2,990 and the VB bag was originally $2,710 and is on sale on MyTheresa for $1,355. I point that out because even with the shoe rewear and the (relatively) inexpensive jewelry and dress, that’s still a lot of money for an outfit to visit a charity that supports women who are out of work and are often struggling financially because of it. The thing that kills me is that she has a few bigger trench coats she could have worn open and so many black bags—now would have been a great time to repeat them, especially after having last year’s wardrobe cost and average price per item revealed by UFONoMore. I’m absolutely not saying Kate hasn’t had her own share of picking tone deaf outfits over the years, or that Meghan can’t buy or wear expensive things, I’m just surprised she would potentially set herself up for more bad press.
As she doesn’t close any of her coats she could have worn any of her beige wool coats or trench coats as she buys them oversized they’d still fit (and probably close too). And a new $2k black bag when she’s got others is odd.
As this shop is for 2nd hand clothing to help get woman a office wardrobe, wearing mostly repeats (like her shoes) would be more sensitive. The maternity dress obviously no shade and it looks nice and comfortable.
Maybe the $5k in new items on her first day is her way of clapping back at the media for going through her annual spending with a fine tooth comb?
Considering the point of this it does seem a bit much. Maybe today would have been the day to rock out a random marks & spencers outfit (or something of that ilk).
Bit cringe for the patron of a charity (providing work clothes to lower income women) to be wearing an outfit that costs enough to clothe about 50 women in decent work clothes.
I’d love to know if the visibility aspect of the royals visiting these places increases donations more than the cost of clothing them for the event, and policing the event itself.
The men of the royal family visiting wouldnt cost as much clothes wise as they wear the same dull navy suits, but there probably isnt as many pictures or media attention they are a snore. Actually that counts for most events that don’t include Meghan & Kate.
Whatever she does it’ll be bad press with how he’s being treated.
exactly. The people who want to think badly of her will find a reason to move the goal posts so they can continue to think badly of her. a 2000 coat that a person plans to wear for years is NOT tone-deaf overspending. If it were hot pink and covered in sequins, then yeah, maybe it would be a poor choice. But a neutral coat that she has worn before and can wear again and again and again? A 10,000 coat would be tone-deaf in my opinion.
I completely understand where people are coming from about how it looks to wear a pricey coat and dress ensemble to this charity in particular. But I see it differently. Beige trench coats and black sheath dresses are ubiquitous. While her outfit is 100% high end. You could find a black sheath and beige trench in Target. Not this high quality…but unless you know designers etc, you wouldn’t necessarily know what her outfit is worth. And she is a famous retired actress nee Duchess. It isn’t like she has a closet full if Old Navy to choose from.
Exactly, people dont know it’s expensive, no labels displayed, etc. She looks fine
Except the royal reporters almost always ask for, and immediately publish, outfit details, so we do tend to know how much her (and Kate’s) outfits cost. She may not be wearing anything with a visible brand label, but I stand by my opinion that Oscar de la Renta is a slightly off choice for today’s engagement.
Something great I read, doesn’t quite apply here given how expensive, BUT:
cost per wear. one of the most useful things I every heard. If it’s cheap and you wear it once, probably still not worth it. Steep but it’s your go-to outfit, well-made and will last a long time, classic style and good fit, very worth it.
I very much agree. She looks amazing, but she definitely has plenty of oversized coats she could have worn. I am one of those people who tend to veer towards the colors/staple pieces that she does and I know I’m guilty of owning several pieces that look similar (of course I know the difference lol) but she should know better than to debut such expensive pieces at an event like this.
I like her shoes. Her coat is so wrinkled in the back, as though it was ironed….incorrectly. Would comment on the black maternity dress, but don’t want to think about maternity dresses anymore!!
She just got out of the car. Meghan likes to experiment and take risks. Kate and the Queen would never risk a material that crinkles, and as a consequence they both have a very very predictable style.
Meh. I’ve seen plenty of pictures of Kate in wrinkled clothing.
I love everything of this outfit. Especially that purse and the coat. Are you sure it is a trench? Looks like a swing coat to me. Great!
It’s not. No back flap or epaulets, both which come with trench coats.
Yeah I don’t know why people keep calling it a trench. I thought “what a horrible fitting trench” until I saw the back and realized it was a swing (which I think is a lovely style that pairs well with fitted dresses.)
This is a great program. Love the pumps and maternity dress. Hopefully Meghan makes a real impact to these patronages.
Woah, this the worst I have ever seen her look . The dress is awful .
How so? I think it’s perfect – understated, demure, inoffensive and the shoes are fabulous. Wish I’d looked half as good as that when I was pregnant.
This is an oddly extreme take on the most basic of fashion items. A black sheath dress. How horrible!
Whaaaa??? She’s not wearing some gawdawful rag, she looks neat, professional and pulled together. She’s the image of what a woman should look like when she goes to a job interview.
Pretty hyperbolic reaction to a basic black dress.
I love looking at the clothes and shoes of the women around her. The blonde woman in the flowered dress has ribbon or some sort of tassel on the back of her shoe. The woman Meghan is greeting has such a cute hairstyle and shoes. The color combination on another woman, orange and green, is fantastic. And another woman looks great in a print dress and black boots and has an amazing curtain of hair.
My daughter just told me that she volunteers for this charity! I said to her, then why the heck were you not there! 😆
What a great organization to be involved in! She must have fantastic stories.
@Natalie
As a volunteer my daughter has been involved in sorting through the designer clothes, which Smart Works has a large stock of. Apart from clothes and items being loaned to the women looking for work, some of the stock gets sold periodically to raise money for the Charity. My daughters workplace is one of the partnerships that Smart Works has, and she is considering doing more volunteering and getting involved in the coaching and mentoring side.
Another connection is that my father used to work at St Charles Hospital, where the visit took place. But I am still trying to figure out why Smart Works is based inside St Charles Hospital??
I think both she and Kate should be given some room during the first 2 years of their marriages to build up a “working” wardrobe. I know Kate was kind of piled on regarding that, but looking back, I see she should have been given a bit of space (maybe less since she wasn’t out and about as much as Meghan but still). After that, I think it’s fair game. I DO think that Meghan likes high designer clothes. And that’s fine, except when someone else’s taxes ultimately end up paying for it, you have to ask: Is her work, in which she seems to be very invested and want to do, worth the Givenchy?
I think there are a time and place for high end designer, and bespoke but there are a lot of times something less expensive like Hobbs, LK Bennett etc would be fine. I don’t think the Queen has as many handbags as Meghan. I think all of the RF need to think carefully about what they are spending especially as we could end up with a General Election and maybe a Labour Govt. I don’t think there’s any need for 2 boxy Victoria Beckham bags, maybe one was navy, but they aren’t classic.
She is carrying super high on her torso…wonder if it will be a girl?
My shape is like Meghan – and my bump was also super high and I had a boy this summer. I think it’s just a old wives’ tale about bump predictions.
Yep there is no scientific correlation.
As a mother who has been helping my own daughter prepare for interviews, I applaud this. Advice and support are much needed and there is a real cost to preparing for job interviews and career work, both the clothing and the grooming, so this is important. How many of us remember our own first major interviews? I spent my limited funds on a “good” neutral suit that didn’t fit quite right (the days before petite work sizes). I got the most leather-like non-leather pumps I could find and carried a fake-leather handbag and hoped for the best. I got the job and one of my first purchases was an actual leather handbag. It meant so much. Was happy once my corporate career was done to donate or consign my suits so that other women could benefit.
She looked more pregnant three weeks ago
Are you one of those people that think she is faking her pregnancy?
Once there is room, the baby changes positions, hence the many shapes and sizes of the belly.
Not here to criticize her spending or the fashion (today). Just want to point out that she looks so genuinely happy when she’s working/out there with the people. I imagine her enthusiasm is infectious.
Lovely to see pics of her at a solo engagement. She looks wonderful!
What I noticed first in the photos is how genuine her smile seems and how the women circling her are all smiling in a similar way. So Meghan’s expression seems genuine and her pleasure seems to be reflected by the others. I’m pleased to hear that she visits these charities and studies up on their issues. So I’m guessing these women have met her before perhaps and that may be why the interactions pictured seem genuine and happy.
She looks really cute and chic I think, especially in the shots without the coat. That sideways shot in her dress makes you think the “late Feb” guesses on due date could be right !
This. Nice to hear something positive.
No one is going to comment on the earrings? I feel like they are the most non-Duchess-y part of the whole outfit. Climbers with 3 dangling pearls (I think?) are pretty edgy. I wonder if she will get backlash for them?
I thought they were interesting & was wondering if she had multiple piercings & then wondered about the tizzy people would have over that.
I love her earrings. I can’t pull them them off but they look great on her. So delicate and pretty.
I’ve never been a fan of the big chunk jewelry that is traditionally associated with royalty. They look like costume pieces. Some of the royals can pull them off but quite often it looks ridiculous and meant just as a display of money rather than design.
ITA, those earrings are lovely and different.
That’s exactly the purpose of royalty’s big chunk jewelry: it’s a display of wealth and power.
Those earrings are very on trend. She seems to be a trend follower.
I hate the earrings, it looks cheap and unclassy. The whole look is just okay.
ITA, the earrings look tacky
She looks lovely and I love love love the shoes, but she is spending to much money. No one needs that expensive of a trench- she could have gotten Burberry for like no money.
Normally I wouldn’t care as its her’s or the British taxpayer’s money (not sure how that works on clothes) but the amount she spent for 2018 after 7 months was just way to high when the taxpayers cover so much. And yes I know she is building her royal wardrobe and that the wedding dress was part of that but it is still terrible optics. Especially when there are British brands that are famous for trenches; and wearing common wealth designers seems to be a really big deal.
I also think this would be a great opportunity to show women that you don’t need a fortune to look amazing. That you can do it with reasonably priced items, because this is a great charity she is involved with and I hope that the PR she generated from visiting will let women know it is there to help and encourage those with resources to donate.
Again she looks lovely and before anyone attacks me for not praising her endlessly- I think the charities she is taking on are great, I think she is a wonderful representative for the RF, I wasn’t on here the first year of Kate’s marriage but if she spend 500k in a year that is horrible too.
I also say this as someone who works in high end fashion, loves it and would buy a lot of it too if I made the money. But no citizen’s support my princess lifestyle.
You can get Burberry for ‘like no money’?? Burberry is crazy expensive.
The wedding dress was not in the 500k count. Some jewelry was. But if you count the dress, she spent more like $1 million.
Wedding dress wasn’t included but the reception dress was included which doesn’t make sense to me. The objection is supposed to be taxpayer money but they didn’t pay for the reception dress.
The wedding dress wasn’t included because it was a custom piece, and therefore, there is no information available regarding its cost. A lot of custom made clothes are not included in the final tallies for this reason, but I’ve seen some of Kate’s stuff get tagged with a price, even when it’s custom made, so who knows.
She looks great but she should have reworn one of her many many other coats.
She did re wear the coat
Is this a repeat. I assume it’s one of the trench coats she wore in Australia?
I like the pattern on the shoes but not a fan of the pvc panels. Plastic shoes are a bit too kardashian for my taste.
Meghan is a superstar. She hit the ground running, looks unbothered and is confidently doing what she loves! I admire her for working quietly behind the scenes and being a wonderful asset to the royal family.
Well said and I agree.
Ditto.
Meghan just can’t resist an oversize coat, can she? It would have been an opportunity to recycle one of her “old” coats.
She did recycle and re wear a coat
Love it! She looks fabulous and that’s a great patronage for her! Go Meg!
Regarding her clothes tally it’s unfair because a lot of the items she owned pre-Harry and they also added jewelry in so that punches the total up a lot. I do think she needs to tone it down and hire a UK stylist. The public will be more forgiving if she’s spending thousands on UK based brands than other high end international brands.
The bulk of her clothes, accessories and jewellery pieces were/are from the new seasons.
You just wrote about her in the last post.
I love this look. The coat is too big (maternity or not).
Meghan always seems engaged during her work outings, I respect that about her. I’ve watched Princess Anne over the years and despite Anne’s strict facial expressions she always seem engaged during her work outings.
Omg her show game love it so much not my usual deal but I had to stop and comment
For all of Meghan’s fashion: http://madaboutmeghan.blogspot.com/?m=1.
I heard someone say about people on the Golden Globes red carpet were given dresses and high end makeup for advertising certain fashion houses. Rest assured Meghan is not paying for all her fashion choices. People in the fashion business want a famous person to wear their designs to promote business. When she wore that dress in Australia with the birds on it, people called the designer to get the same dress. He told them he made only one of them and allowed Duchess Meghan to wear it. I don’t know if she kept it or returned it or got a discount.
Royals don’t do this though. The bird gown was Oscar de la Renta, it wasn’t a bespoke gown. It was pre Fall 18.
BT – Royals aren’t allowed do borrow, receive freebies or get discounts. I don’t know if they are getting round this somehow but it’s not meant to happen. If they receive a freebie they are meant to return it unworn.
Meghan made another appearance yesterday, visited a Hospital that deals with mental health.
I did not see any info about this.
The over spending will be her downfall since they can’t get her on anything else. This will be it.
Lol! Do you think Meghan sets her own budget? She is not stupid like Sarah Ferguson who never knew how to mange money.
I think the £2000 maternity trench will serve multiple pregnancies – a good investment. I don’t see her and Harry stopping at one.