FEMAIL FASHION VERDICT
YES Meghan’s mojo is back
Linda KeLsey, former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine WHEN the Duchess of Sussex bared her fabulous legs this week, it was as though she was paying homage to the woman she used to be a mere nine months ago, before her engagement to Prince Harry.
Remember that woman? The feisty, free-spirited activist who endeared us with her forthright manner and American openness. The bi-racial beauty who shook up the fusty royals with grace and confidence.
The stylish actress who, far from being a slave to designer fashion, had worked out her own look, favouring a pared-back style in a neutral colour palette, supporting littleknown Canadian designers, rather than the usual red-carpet roll call.
Since the Royal Wedding, though, we’ve watched Meghan’s fashion choices being hemmed in by royal protocol. There were American tan tights and fussy shift dresses.
It seemed as though she was covering up her personality, as well as her body.
But now, Meghan appears to have done a fashion volte-face.
So, welcome back, Meghan, the original version, in the kind of chic and show-stopping outfit that won women over from the very start.
NO It’s just a tux too much
Karen Kay, fashion writer THE Duchess of Sussex is writing the next chapter of the royal style guide, with her refreshing, confident take on contemporary fashion.
I adored the Alexander McQueen dinner suit she wore with such panache to the Endeavour Fund Awards back in February.
Yet this week’s tuxedo cocktail dress felt like an awkward throwback to the Eighties, with its precarious hemline, double-breasted styling and square shoulders.
The mini- skirted silhouette showcased her coltish limbs, but also emphasised how tricky it is to appear elegant when standing bare-legged.
The buttoned-up style of the dress pulled around the bust as she shook hands with the assembled cast of Hamilton, ruining the line.
Perhaps a pair of black opaque tights would have made this work better? Or if the dress had been cut from silk crepe with some stretch so it didn’t pull. Better still, a pencil skirt peeping out a couple of inches below the hem: details that add dignity matter.
But I do love Meghan’s youthful exuberance and she must continue to finesse royal style.
It takes time to find your fashion feet in the Royal Family and this was an unfortunate hiccup — not an insurmountable hurdle — on the path to being a fully-fledged 21st-century duchess.