In recent days, the Mail has returned to one of my favorite sub-genres of royal gossip: the British obsession with everything the Duchess of Sussex wears. They consult British fashion experts, their royal reporters write columns about how Meghan’s dresses make them feel, they spend hours analyzing the hidden messages behind Meghan’s clothing. The question is: why now, why this month? I think they’re just exceptionally bored, especially because the Princess of Wales is being benched/sidelined and Kate’s clothes are pretty boring and/or bad. So here we go, an analysis of Meghan’s love of strapless dresses and gowns. The Mail was even complimentary towards Meghan.
Meghan Markle’s penchant for strapless dresses was evident long before she married into the Royal Family. However, as a working royal, the Duchess adhered to strict protocol that prohibited such silhouettes, instead favouring modest clothing. This even saw her modify the glamorous black and white Safiyaa co-ord worn to the 2018 Royal Variety Performance by adding a halterneck strap for a more demure look.
Since relocating to California with Prince Harry, Meghan’s wardrobe has undergone a noticeable transformation. Adopting a more relaxed and contemporary aesthetic, she has shifted away from formal attire and returned to the bold, décolletage-baring dresses and jumpsuits she once loved. One standout moment last year was when she removed straps from an iconic gold gown by Johanna Ortiz.
Kelly Caira, stylist at House of Colour, believes that Meghan’s considered fashion choices convey confidence, while showcasing her best asset: her shoulders. She tells MailOnline: ‘Meghan is blessed with a slender shape and beautiful shoulders and arms, which are given absolute focus in a strapless outfit.’
Kelly continues: ‘She has hit upon a fabulous formula with the strapless style. There is cohesion with her latest choices that show inner confidence while revealing her soft femininity. There is something wonderful about seeing someone in the public eye who has been much criticised really honing her style and taking control of her public image. In a harsh world where everyone is quick to criticise, Meghan lets her confidence shine through with the simplicity of the silhouette and lack of adornment. She is enough!’
I do believe Meghan was explicitly told that she couldn’t or shouldn’t wear strapless dresses when she was in the UK. They freaked out for YEARS when she wore some off-the-shoulder looks, or pieces which showcased her clavicle. You would have thought that it was the most skin any royal woman had ever revealed. But yeah, Meghan has great shoulders and arms. I totally understand why she favors strapless styles, she really has the figure for it.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- New York City, NY – Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and her mother Doria Ragland arrive at The Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Doria Ragland BACKGRID USA 16 MAY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and her mother Doria Ragland depart The Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry BACKGRID USA 16 MAY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and her mother Doria Ragland depart The Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 16 MAY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Fernando Ramales / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Beverly Hills, CA – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends The Paley Center for Media hosts Paley Honors Fall Gala honoring Tyler Perry at Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 4 DECEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Beverly Hills, CA – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends The Paley Center for Media hosts Paley Honors Fall Gala honoring Tyler Perry at Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 4 DECEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Beverly Hills, CA – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends The Paley Center for Media hosts Paley Honors Fall Gala honoring Tyler Perry at Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 4 DECEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Beverly Hills, CA – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends The Paley Center for Media hosts Paley Honors Fall Gala honoring Tyler Perry at Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Pictured: Megan Markle, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 4 DECEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- 2022 Ripple Of Hope Awards Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: New York, New York, United States When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Janet Mayer/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
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- Handout photos of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle during their official visit to the school of drums of the cabildo in Cartagena. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Cartagena, Colombia When: 17 Aug 2024 Credit: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of SussexAbaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Handout photos of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle during their official visit to the school of drums of the cabildo in Cartagena. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Cartagena, Colombia When: 17 Aug 2024 Credit: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of SussexAbaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Typical DM doesn’t do its research, the late Queen wore strapless dresses when she was young. There would not have been any protocol about it for Meghan to break.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II
And for a formal portrait no less. Let the pearl clutching commence. The queen was a bit of a dish in her younger days.
The media made up all kinds of rules and restrictions especially for Meghan. I’m glad she got away and can wear clothes she feels good in now.
I really like the black strapless dress because she so obviously feels comfortable and glamorous in it. She has her style – monochrome, strapless, fitted bodice, floaty skirt – and she sticks with it.
“Queen Elizabeth slaps herself in the face shocker!” Tomorrows Daily Vomit headline.
The Daily Fail actually does research. And then they write whatever they want to write, completely ignoring the results of their research.
Not only QEII, even khate also worn strapless. This stupid rule came after Carol and waity. No any middleton women have shoulders like women. They are athletic but not good for strapless glamor dresses. They saw meghan and scared they would loose their fame.
We know mail is the kindergarten researchers, straight from middleton fairytale. No wonder they wrote this.
Truthfully Meghans best looks to show off her shoulders and arms in the halter dresses she wears, not the strapless ones. Her second wedding dress, her polo event dress, her recent Epsy dress when Harry got the award. I think that style gives her more height. She is short waisted and sometimes the strapless make her look shorter.
I agree Meghan’s best dresses are halter dresses, love them hater dresses on Meghan.
Oh, imagine the scandal when Meghan might show her clavicle!
Quite unlike the… crickets when Middlebum flashed whole countries on state visits — or let people peek down her bony chest at a garter (?) ceremony, where she wore a powder blue coat dress with nothing underneath.
Anyone else here a fan of The Big Bang Theory? I keep thinking of the scene in which Amy tries on wedding dresses and laughs because the first two dresses show off her clavicles: “Take that, Ma!”
OMG. She’s an American woman, living in the US, working for her own (non-royal!) non-profit. She can wear whatever she wants! The opinions and made-up protocols of these UK psychos do not matter one iota.
Imagine having an entire country regardless of size analyzing what you wear. Applaud Meghan for wearing what she feels looks good on her irregardless to the loud voices commenting on her choices. This to me speaks to her confidence in herself and her choices in life and with what she wears. Meghan is a good looking woman. She is slender as mentioned and appears very fit for a mother of two young children. She obviously takes care of herself and works out. Meghan looks the way a person who tunes out the noises should look.
It’s so nice to see her out and about dressed like she wants to dress and looking fabulous!!
Well she does have the silhouette for it, but even if she didn’t what does it matter? Also I just realized we’re about 3 weeks away from the 5-year anniversary of their announcement that they were stepping back, and 3 years past them doing anything with the larger family as representative royals. I know that clicks have to be minimizing on these stories compared to 2020/2021, how long are they going to justify writing stories critiquing their lives as if they are justified because they are still working royals? I know that H&M are their money makers, definitely more than anyone else in the Royal Family but even these stories have to be super old to even the most Die-hard haters at this point.
I hate to think about your question considering these people still write about Princess Diana — who, as we all know, has been dead for decades, due to the BM’s own hounding!
@Dee(2) says:
“……..how long are they going to justify writing stories critiquing their lives as if they are justified because they are still working royals?
As we know, the british shitmedia ghouls take pleasure in nitpicking H&M and everything they do and they try to justify their abuse by saying: (1) H&M are still british royals (when it suits them they include M in this charade); and (2) they really truly believe that H will return to the UK.
On the second point, however, I am now beginning to be of the view that those clowns really and truly believed that it was only a matter of time before H returned to the UK to live (with or without wife and kids) and I say this because of how they reacted after the DealBook summit. I caught a whiff of one of their breakfast shows or podcast posted on twitter by a Squaddie where they seemed genuinely frightened to hear H not only make fun of them and their “H&M-buying-new-house” stories and their “H&M-divorcing” stories, but also to hear him say categorically that he has no intention of leaving the USA; that he likes living there and loves the fact that he can do things with his kids that he couldnt do in the UK.”
I swear this latest news have them all on the backfoot and theyre not sure how to proceed. LMFAO
These stories are becoming exhausting in their predictability. It is way beyond time for the British media to get some new material.
Imagine–living in another country and wearing whatever you want. How on earth is this newsworthy? The royal media needs to have a “come to Jesus” awareness moment for themselves. If you pay more attention to royals who left the country 5 years ago who down the line of succession instead of, you know, the king and the next 4 people in the line of succession, what the hell does that say about your royal family? What does that say about what THEY think about their own royal family? You mean the monarch and the Prince of Wales aren’t important enough for you?
This must gall the shit out of both Charles and William, as they are both such jealous bitter betties. They don’t matter to the people who are supposed to be supporting them and deifying them and Harry and Meghan DO matter. It’s still the Harry and Meghan show in the UK. Apparently it always will be.
Some royal asses are seriously chapped, and no ointment will heal those burns, ever.
The DM is pretending as if they weren’t at the forefront of criticising Meghan’s outfits when she was a working royal. Apparently it was wrong for her to wear pants, off the shoulder dresses and top handle bags when she was a working royal. But anyway I agree she has reverted to the way she dressed before she married Harry and you can see that she’s enjoying her freedom.
Exactly – the DM being all “isn’t it wonderful seeing someone in the public eye who has been much criticised really honing her style” but conveniently omitting the fact that they were amongst her biggest critics!
“Meghan let’s her confidence shine through with the simplicity of the silhouette and lack of adornment.” Lol. So they’re saying she doesn’t need to adorn herself with bunches of bows and buttons? Pairing this article with the one about Kate’s big bow is kind of devious. Even though I know Meghan wears what she likes, I’d like to think there’s an effort to wear something that Kate couldn’t strait-up copy-keen. Bc it was out of control for a while. That’s why I like the big bow. That’s Kate’s style and she should wear it proudly. Like go all in. I don’t like it and it’s not my style but I can believe there are maybe some women out there who like it.
“the most skin any royal woman had ever revealed“ – except, of course, for Kate Middlebum. We’ve seen up her skirt too many times to count.
And it is ignored that Kate wore the see through dress at that fashion show.
Good for her. No need to dim her light or be half of who she is to appease the less confident members of the RF .
Is this…..is this an article from the DM admitting that Meghan looks good in strapless dresses and her confidence is really shining through? Are they actually including the quote about how M doesn’t need a lot of adornment because “she is enough!”
Quite the contrast to Kate and her heavy pearl and diamond choker last week……
Anyway as always the premise here is stupid. Meghan did not wear a lot of strapless dresses (or any) as a working royal but for a good portion of her working royal life she was pregnant and strapless dresses/tops are a lot less comfortable when pregnant (in my experience anyway.)
QEII didn’t wear strapless dresses later in life likely for the same reason – she may have found them less comfortable as she aged. But she definitely wore them as a young princess/duchess/queen. Kate has worn strapless dresses before or dresses that are so off the shoulder they may basically be strapless (see: dress she wore to Top Gun premiere, the black McQueen with the little white flowers she wore to the BAFTAs one year) and she has also worn a number of one shouldered dresses.
All that to say – all the criticism over Meghan’s shoulders/clavicle was like the other criticism of her – manufactured just bc the press could get away with it.
I still recall when the trial in France over the Kate topless photos was happening and they were trying to drag Meghan into it by suggesting she showed more skin in her film roles. Which of course is totally false.
They can’t get enough of Meghan. When she makes any kind of appearance they can’t wait to write all about it
While I agree and think they’re all obsessed with Meghan, from a fashion perspective this makes sense. If you’re writing any kind of fashion article and you’re quoting a stylist – would you rather talk about Kate’s stupid velvet hairbow-worn-over-her-coat or Meghan’s look at the Paley honors last week? One of those is not like the other, fashion wise.
And of course that’s where so much of the hate and obsession still comes from – the RRs KNOW what they lost, they know what they drove out of the country – they could be talking about someone who looks and dresses like Meghan, or they could be talking about a velvet bow.
They hate the fact that even though Kate has been around since 2011, there is maybe one or two decent dresses that she has worn that are a fashion moment. Most of the time she is very boring. And they could pretend otherwise when Kate was the only woman under 40 in the family. But once Meghan arrived, even if she wasn’t going wild with her fashion, she still was far more stylish.
I mean that sad vogue cover kate did on the anniversary issue remains very sad with her fake eyebrows and faux country style. She should be grateful that Meghan chose to skip the cover of vogue because we know the cover would have been great.
Megan may not have had a vogue cover but she did have that stunning VF cover.
I can’t believe the DM is telling the truth lol. Yes, Meghan is a confident happy woman and it shows on her face and in her fashion.
THIS!!!
There is a picture mashup on line with QE2, Princess Margaret, Diana and Kate all in strapless dresses. So only protocol for Meghan. And we know why, sadly.
Couldn’t share, technologically challenged, LOL.
Things to know about tabloids, they sometimes write things purposely wrong so people can correct them and then give them clicks because they are upset. That is the business model of the tabloids in the UK.
Interesting article. Was this written to shade Bone Idle? That’s the only reason I can think that they wrote an article that didn’t smear Meghan. I didn’t know they knew how to write this type of article.
Over 27 years ago, Princess Diana frequently wore strapless dresses…