Meghan Markle’s Next Style Chapter Looks Good on Her

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Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, arrives to attend the 2020 UN Nelson Mandela Prize award ceremony at the United Nations in New York on July 18, 2022. - The Prize is being awarded to Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece and Doctor Morissanda Kouyate of Guinea. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)KENA BETANCUR/Getty Images

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When Meghan Markle walked into the UN General Assembly in July, we sensed something was different. Shoulders back, head up, Meghan looked radiant and ready to do business on the arm of a suited and booted Prince Harry. Perhaps it was her Givenchy workwear that made her walk a little taller. The Duchess’s luxed-up version of a classic tee and pencil skirt—a black take of the forest green set she wore in Ireland in July 2018—was simplicity refined. Accessorized with classic pieces that spoke volumes—Cartier’s Tank Francaise watch and Love bracelet, a Mulberry Bayswater and Manolo Blahnik BB pumps—the royal looked comfortable in the can-do image she was portraying.

Meghan in Givenchy at the UN Assembly.

JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Wearing the identical outfit in forest green in Ireland. 

Samir Hussein

Since stepping down as a senior member of The Firm in January 2020, we’ve seen Meghan in three modes: Santa Barbara mom, Hollywood businesswoman, and exiled royal on a mission to tell her side of the story. Either at home in her trademark skinny jeans and boyfriend shirts, growing the couple’s Archewell empire in slick Armani dresses, or reluctantly digging out her posh dress coats to head back to London, the Duchess is always ready to face the watching world.

Givenchy 4G Pointelle mini dress

Manolo Blahnik BB pointed toe pumps

Mulberry small zipped Bayswater

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Cartier Love bracelet

Her recent trip to New York saw Meghan loosen up a little. She packed a hard-working wardrobe of summer tailoring and minimalist eveningwear, but, most importantly, she looked like herself. Less trussed up than we have seen her in the past, Meghan, in navy wool Christian Dior Bermuda shorts and heels (another pair of BBs), showed off a more playful side to her slick public-facing wardrobe while lunching with Gloria Steinem. Her monochrome Gabriela Hearst jumpsuit, which she wore to dinner with friends, meanwhile, came with a pair of bow-flecked Aquazzura stilettos and a wonderfully tactile Bottega intrecciato pouch. The whirlwind trip left the overall impression of a woman who had absolutely nailed it in terms of personal PR. (See: Amal Clooney, who also toes the line between on-trend and timeless, and knows how to work and play hard.)

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Gabriela Hearst Vicky jumpsuit

Bottega Veneta Pouch bag

Glimpses of this more confident and laid-back Duchess have been emerging for a while now. At the Santa Barbara polo in May, Meghan dabbled in the Bermuda shorts look again, this time by way of Khaite and a Pretty Woman-esque polka dot blouse courtesy of Celine. Days prior, and again at the polo, she wore Frame denim cut-offs—the kind that harked back to the ripped jeans fan that first caught Harry’s eye back in 2016—and louche Anine Bing shirting. These are small subtle shifts—a whiff of distressed denim here, an artfully crumpled linen button-up there—but enough for eagle-eyed style watchers to pick up on, and note that it’s a shift away from the protocol dictated by the royal institution. No amount of boyfriend shirts or Cartier status symbols can buy self-assuredness, but for Meghan, it’s all part of her armor against the world. It will certainly be interesting to see where this calm, cool and collected fashion phase takes her next.

Anine Bing Mika shirt

Frame Le Cutoff denim shorts

Valentino studded round acetate frames

Cartier Tank Française 25mm small 18-karat gold watch