Written by Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN
This week Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry attended their
final engagements as senior members of the British royal family. As of March 31, the duo will be drop their
HRH titles and the many official duties and responsibilities they carry.
As ever, all eyes were on Meghan’s fashion choices: a blue Victoria Beckham dress that cut through the torrential rain outside the
Endeavour Fund Awards; a striking red Safiyaa dress, paired not with royal jewels, but crystal beaded earrings by Simone Rocha, for the Mountbatten Festival of Music; and an emerald green dress by Emilia Wickstead, complete with built-in cape and matching William Chambers fascinator, at the
Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. Rather than an end, these vibrant, joyful looks boldly signaled a new beginning.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wears Safiyaa at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at Royal Albert Hall. Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
Meghan’s fashion choices have been of huge public interest since she and Prince Harry announced their engagement in 2017.
Their wedding was one of the biggest news stories of 2018, with intrigue around
her wedding gown generating particular interest.
And the media never missed a beat when she seemed to break the unwritten royal dress code — bare legs and shoulders, dark nail varnish, a missing hat, going shoeless (she was on Bondi Beach).
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wore a Givenchy dress designed by Clare Waight Keller to marry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, in 2018. Credit: Jane Barlow/WPA Pool/Getty Images
But whether reports of her breaks with tradition read celebratory or critical, our obsessive interest in them feels increasingly out of date.
You’d think that in 2020 all women would be trusted to know and have the freedom to decide what is appropriate for them to wear to work.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Prince of Wales’ 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration in 2018. Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The challenges of dressing for a role in the public eye has been well documented. Michelle Obama, whose
love of fashion was obvious throughout her time as First Lady, has spoken openly about how much time she spent thinking about how her outfits would be perceived while her husband was in office.
Michelle Obama discusses her book “Becoming” with Sarah Jessica Parker in 2018. Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
But since leaving the White House, she’s embraced her personal style with even more gusto. The outfit she wore to be interviewed by Sarah Jessica Parker at New York’s Barclays Center in 2018 said it all: the brightest of yellow satin dresses, paired with
glittering, thigh-high Balenciaga boots, was absolutely cheer-inducing.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wears Victoria Beckham to attend the Endeavour Fund Awards. Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Everything about Meghan’s fashion this week signals a similar exuberance. Hopefully that sartorial spirit will carry through as she and Prince Harry settle into their new lives outside the restraints of royal protocol.
