Meghan Markle is a truly excellent wearer of suits.
We’ll make the obvious not-that-funny joke and suggest she got plenty of practice as Rachel Zane on the show, Suits.
But really, acting as a paralegal then a lawyer isn’t what gave the Duchess of Sussex a mastery of tailoring. Her off-duty style has long included sharp tuxedos, casual short suits, and suiting-inspired dresses. She’s always been great at mixing traditionally masculine elements with all the usual feminine stuff.
She proved that by wearing a short tuxedo inspired dress to a performance of Hamilton, that managed to be sharp and smart while also effortlessly cool.
That’s definitely not the first time Meghan’s nailed suiting and made us all want to rock a blazer, though. We’ve listed her best suiting looks below.
The Tuxedo Dress
Come on, she looks incredible.
An unexpected length (since becoming an official royal Meghan has been all about below-the-knee), the perfect tailored fit, a sleek updo, and a box clutch all combine to make Meghan’s black tuxedo dress, designed by Judith & Charles, a winning look.
The Navy Suit
Worn to the Endeavour Fund Awards ceremony in February (yep, pre-wedding), Meghan managed to take what could have been boring and stuffy and turn it into a look that made us all consider swapping an LBD for a LNS (little navy suit, obvs).
Again, that’s all down to the little details. Meghan’s had her Alexander McQueen suit tailored to nip in at the waist so the jacket doesn’t swamp her frame, while a pussybow blouse and Jimmy Choo heels stops the outfit from feeling too business-y.
The Black Suit
Worn in Dublin in July, Meghan showed everyone that tying the knot with Prince Harry doesn’t mean she’ll give up her signature style.
Again, note the shoes, the ankle-grazing length on the trousers, and the simple white top. That’s how you turn a suit into elegant day wear.
The Blazer + Dress
Meghan’s passion for suiting doesn’t just apply to full-on tuxes. She’ll also mix traditional tailoring with the dresses you’d expect of a duchess.
One of her favourite fashion moves is popping a blazer on top of a casual dress to make it a touch smarter.
At the Commonwealth Youth Forum, she shrobed a Camilla and Marc blazer over a striped Altuzarra dress, while at the Invictus Games a bold green Self Portrait dress was toned down with a McQueen jacket.
The Short Suit
Pre-Harry, Meghan was a big fan of the short suit, wearing it on red carpets and for chatshow appearances.
It’s pretty unlikely we’ll see Meghan wearing another short suit now she’s a royal (we don’t think the Queen would approve), but we can always look back at photos and learn her ways of making tailoring feel fun.
Every outfit on Suits
We don’t think Meghan’s Suits wardrobe technically counts as her best suiting moments, as she was in character and being styled.
But hey, we’d feel a bit silly leaving out the years she spent wearing skirt suits and tailored dresses as Rachel Zane.
Again, these aren’t looks we’re likely to see now Meghan’s a duchess, but they’re an excellent place to look for suiting inspiration.
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