meghan’s dress decoded

Much had been made of the Duchess of Sussex’s refusal to do a photocall in the hours after giving birth – namely that she wanted to take the pressure off new mums having to be immaculate. So what to make of her outfit 55 hours after giving birth? At last Wednesday’s photocall, her dress – understated, sleeveless and with a tie waist – didn’t seek to hide her post-pregnancy bump. Her hair wasn’t coiffed into bouncy curls or a formal chignon, but fell in gentle waves, while her skin was glowing but relatively unmade-up. While her 10cm-high Manolos signalled she wasn’t about to abandon her signature glamour, this was a woman who did look as if she had, well, been busy giving birth. In the grand setting of Windsor Castle, the whole look stood out as classic yet modern.

But the designer behind her outfit

was the biggest surprise of all: Meghan hadn’t gone for one of her trusted fall-backs (Givenchy, Stella Mccartney, Victoria Beckham). Instead, she was dressed by Grace Wales Bonner, a 28-year-old designer and artist with mixed-race heritage and one of the brightest stars of the London fashion scene, who just this month received 2019’s Bfc/vogue Fashion Fund prize. Grace, who grew up with her British mother in Dulwich, South London, while her father has Jamaican origins, says her brand is intended ‘to disrupt traditional European notions of luxury with a… multiplicity of perspectives’ – which must resonate with Meghan’s own ground-breaking royal role. The duchess, who is clearly thoughtful about the messages she sends with her clothes, may also have made a sweetly sentimental accessory choice to introduce her family of three: her Jennifer Meyer necklace was studded with three turquoise stones. So – how might all this translate into

how Meghan dresses Master Archie?

His cousins, the Cambridges, go traditional for public appearances. But as seventh in line to the throne, Archie and his parents might feel less obliged to follow protocol and might just have a little more fun with fashion.