Irish Independent

Royal shows flair for fashion diplomacy on first foreign trip

- Caitlin McBride

MEGHAN Markle proved her aptitude in the art of fashion diplomacy for her first royal trip abroad to Dublin. For royals, official visits offer the perfect opportunit­y to showcase either British fashion houses as a badge of honour, or as the case may be today, an opportunit­y to incorporat­e a local designer into your wardrobe.

It’s a tactic long employed by first ladies around the world, knowing their ensembles will be dissected down to a single stray hair.

But Meghan, Britain’s new Duchess of Sussex, doesn’t play by the normal fashion rules as she has been displaying a number of internatio­nal brands during her myriad recent public appearance­s.

As she stepped off the plane at Dublin Airport yesterday with her new husband Prince Harry, it was clear careful considerat­ion had been taken in putting her look together – a forest green combinatio­n comprising of a high-waisted skirt and complement­ary roundneck knit, paired with tan suede Manolo Blahnik heels and her ever present flesh coloured tights, a requiremen­t imposed by her grandmothe­r-in-law Queen Elizabeth.

We did, however, get a glimmer of the pre-duchess Meghan, who chose a brown leather Strathberr­y handled bag, an

accessorie­s brand she favoured during her engagement appearance­s, instead of the royal-required clutches.

Her choice of Givenchy is an unsurprisi­ng one since she has become an ardent champion of the French fashion house under Claire Waight Keller’s creative direction in recent months, and famously wore her custom design on her wedding day.

Green was not only appropriat­e for Ireland, but a welcome departure from the nude palette she has been sticking to of late, according to stylist and fashion writer Corina Gaffey.

“Meghan seems to have set- tled into her royal role and perfected the dress code,” she told the Irish Independen­t. “The forest green was a subtle nod to Ireland but it would be nice to see her adopt an Irish designer into her fashion roster over the course of her two-day stay.”

At the garden party at the British Ambassador’s residence at Glencairn yesterday evening, Meghan wore a chic black dress by New Zealand-born designer Emilia Wickstead.

Sister-in-law Kate Middleton has long been a fan of Dublin-born designer Orla Kiely, but Meghan has yet to show the same affection – yet.

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 ??  ?? Meghan Markle and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings. Photo: Frank McGrath
Meghan Markle and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings. Photo: Frank McGrath

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