Meghan’s Nigeria outfits were a triumph of style and soft power that will set you back a cool... £130 000!
From sweeping gowns and heirloom jewellery to a simple, traditional hand-woven skirt and repurposed blazer, the Duchess of Sussex’s eight outfits for her threeday private visit to Nigeria were a masterclass in charmoffensive power dressing. Albeit one with a value in excess of £130,000.
The 42-year old Duchess, who allegedly didn’t hire a stylist but insisted on dressing herself, was ostensibly there to support her husband Harry visiting wounded soldiers and local charities.
But all eyes were firmly on her — and the pressure was on to roll out a repertoire of outfits that would turn what wasn’t officially a ‘royal’ tour into something worthy of the same level of attention.
Whatever your thoughts on meghan, it’s difficult to fault her sartorial choices on this occasion.
To kick off, she wore a delicious apricot maxi dress by Californian designer Heidi merrick, called (no doubt significantly) the ‘Windsor’ and retailing at £1,106.
The dropped waist and billowy hemline was a departure from the meticulously tailored midi dresses that we were used to seeing on meghan’s ‘royal’ days. Teamed with vintage gold disc Lanvin earrings and a stack of bracelets, including her beloved $5,500 (£4,379) Ariel Gordon Diamond Hex Tennis bracelet (rumoured to be a gift from Harry) and Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Francaise watch, which retails at £21,400, the look was very feminine, if perhaps a little outré for a visit to a local school.
Still, a chunky wooden necklace gifted to the Duchess that day thankfully gave the look a little more earthiness.
Later that day, meghan swapped the dazzling maxi for a simple white trouser suit for an official military reception. If the jacket looks familiar, that’s because it is: meghan first wore the Altuzarra Acacia blazer in 2018 for an Invictus Games reception in Sydney, Australia.
BACk then she teamed it with black jeans and shirt. This time, it got a more polished airing with Altuzarra’s kick-flared white trousers and heels. The look felt ‘Bianca Jagger-meets-Girl Boss’, which is fitting since the Duchess recently launched her own brand, American riviera orchard.
Day two saw the wardrobe value soar as meghan mixed things up for a local volleyball match in a £2,275 palm-leaf print dress by Colombian designer Johanna ortiz — a firm favourite of hers.
ortiz has a talent for creating feminine outfits that feel fresh and — whisper it — a teeny bit sexy, which is something the Duchess would have swerved when she first married Harry. The peep hole and thigh split are certainly a departure from how we’ve seen meghan before, especially when teamed