After the ‘yes’, all thoughts turn to the dress

Erdem, a favourite of the actress, is expected to be top choice, with Misha Nonoo also on the cards

IF THE search hasn’t already begun, then finding a wedding dress will be near the top of Meghan Markle’s to-do list once the excitement of her engagement subsides.

It is thought that Erdem Moralioglu, the Canadian-turkish designer who Ms Markle recently told Vanity Fair “I’ve been wearing for years”, will be her first port of call.

Ms Markle wore a tropical print maxi-dress from Moralioglu’s pre-fall 2017 collection when she and Harry attended the wedding of Tom Inskip and Laura Hughes-young in Jamaica earlier this year.

The designer’s ties to both Canada, where he was brought up, and the UK, where his business is based, would offer a neat way to nod to the transatlantic travels which Harry and Meghan undertook as their relationship blossomed.

Moralioglu is known for his ladylike designs which take their inspiration from art, literature and history, lending them a nostalgic feel but always with a modern, pretty spin.

His most recent collection, shown at London Fashion Week in September, was inspired by the Queen’s 1958 meeting with pianist Duke Ellington.

The Erdem name has reached almost household levels of recognition recently: he counts a host of A-listers including Claire Foy, Emma Stone and Gwyneth Paltrow among his discerning fans, as well as The Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa Matthews, who wore one of his dresses to a wedding in Sweden this summer.

Moralioglu also created a sell-out collection for the affordable fashion giant H&M in November.

Wedding-wise, Moralioglu has kept that aspect of his business to a minimum, designing only for close friends.

“Erdem manages to stand at the forefront of London fashion with unwavering charm, but combined with his innate (and very, very successful) understanding of North American taste and social settings,” says Emma Elwick Bates, a Vogue contributing editor whose own wedding dress was designed by Moralioglu. “I cannot think of anyone better placed to design the dress”

Another option is Misha Nonoo, a New York-based designer who is one of Ms Markle’s closest friends and is thought to have been instrumental in introducing the couple.

Nonoo married Alexander Gilkes, a friend of Harry’s, in an opulent ceremony in Venice in 2012. They are now separated, but her experience of designing her own dress in collaboration with designer Oscar de la Renta would stand her in good stead for the Royal wedding dress commission.

Ms Markle may be marrying a British Prince but for the photocall celebrating their engagement yesterday, the actress chose an international roster.

Her chic white wrap coat and £850 gold and opal earrings were by Canadian brands Line the Label and Birks respectively.

Having lived in Canada for the past seven years – where the television show she starred in, Suits, is filmed – Ms Markle has a natural affinity with the country. The fact that it is also part of the Commonwealth allowed Ms Markle to show an early prowess for diplomatic dressing whilst remaining in familiar style territory for her first official royal foray. Although the coat is not yet available online, similar styles sell for around £450.

The bottle green, sleeveless shift dress, which Ms Markle wore for the couple’s first official interview with Mishal Husain, a BBC journalist, is by Italian label P.A.R.O.S.H, where similar styles retail for £490.

The look was finished with Aquazurra’s £550 “Matilde” heels which Ms Markle has long favoured.

Their beige colouring suggests that Ms Markle subscribes to a similar school of thought on footwear to the Duchess of Cambridge, who is famous for her love of the leg-lengthening, go-with-anything style.

Within minutes of the coat’s identity being revealed, the website of Torontobased Line the Label had already crashed. Let “The Meghan Effect” commence.