Meghan Markle's Style Shift: Stylist Praises High Street Choices Over Designer
A fashion expert suggests Meghan Markle's recent ensembles from Marks & Spencer offer a more polished and flattering look compared to some of her previous expensive designer outfits.
Meghan Markle's recent sartorial choices, particularly those from the British high-street retailer Marks & Spencer, are being lauded by a fashion expert for their polish and flattering fit, standing in contrast to some of her more expensive designer pieces. Stylist Rochelle White noted that the accessible M&S items provide Meghan with better shape and definition.
On a recent outing in London for lunch with her royal wedding hairstylist, George Northwood, the Duchess of Sussex, 45, wore an £85 M&S blazer paired with £26 straight-leg jeans. This ensemble, while incorporating designer accessories like a £16,210 diamond and emerald necklace by Logan Hollowell and a £6,000 Chanel bag, was highlighted as a departure from a previous £28,000 outfit worn for afternoon tea with Malala Yousafzai, which had drawn criticism.
White told the Daily Mail that M&S pieces "look and feel more polished because the type of styling gives her shape and definition," adding that "oversized and expensive garments don't automatically translate into a flattering outfit. It can come across as untidy."
This is not the first time the Duchess has favored Marks & Spencer. Her history with the retailer dates back to December 2017, when she wore M&S leather gloves to a Christmas church service. In January 2018, a £45 M&S Autograph bell-sleeve jumper she wore sold out online within hours, a phenomenon dubbed the 'Meghan Effect.'
Later that year, at the wedding of Prince Harry's cousin Celia McCorquodale in June 2018, Meghan paired a £3,992 floral dress with a £29.50 M&S fascinator. While the dress received mixed reviews, the fascinator was praised for complementing the outfit.
Meghan's M&S patronage continued into her first winter as a Duchess, with her choosing a £49.50 M&S bodycon dress for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in November 2018, which she styled with a custom Stella McCartney coat.
Her recent London lunch with Northwood, a hairstylist known for creating looks for celebrities like Alexa Chung and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, also included PR executive Sarah Corney. The meeting occurred shortly before Meghan and Prince Harry made their first public appearances in the UK since returning from California. During these engagements, Meghan expressed that "It's wonderful to be back."