Meghan Markle Has Had A Stunning Style Transformation
There's little doubt that Meghan Markle has undergone quite the journey since she first began trying to make it in Hollywood. The actor-turned-royal has often reflected those big life changes in her clothing choices — which isn't too surprising, seeing as she's clearly had an interest in fashion for decades.
Markle developed such a passion for fashion, in fact, that she used to blog about it on her website, The Tig, where she offered audiences her own style tips and boutique recommendations. Another feather in her style cap? The star was actually somewhat of an unofficial stylist on the USA Network show "Suits," on which she played Rachel Zane. "I have so much input on what Rachel wears on the show. It is a collaboration," Markle told The Outnet back in 2014. She revealed that she would actually choose items for her character that she herself felt comfortable wearing and noted that Rachel's jewelry on the show were all pieces she owned.
Clearly, then, Meghan Markle has plenty of fashion experience, in addition to some serious style. Fans have really seen that blossom over her years in the spotlight (much like her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton). From sponsored T-Shirts and baseball caps, to sleek and chic pieces from big designer brands, we're taking a look back at the Duchess of Sussex's gorgeous style transformation.
Meghan Markle was a casual up and coming star in 2005
Back in 2005, Meghan Markle wasn't exactly the household name she was today. She was hitting the pre-award show parties and picking up a few freebies — and that appeared to be reflected in her style. A pre-Duchess of Sussex, and pre-"Suits" Meghan Markle was photographed at the 2005 Kari Feinstein Pre-Emmy Style Lounge sporting a few items that appeared to have been gifted to her. She wore a branded baseball hat, a branded black t-shirt (worn over a white top), and casual blue jeans while carrying a plain canvas tote. On her feet, she rocked nude, open-toed sandals.
Seeing Markle decked out in promotional brands isn't something we're likely witness today; she certainly didn't don items emblazoned with business logos when she was a working royal. In fact, it's unlikely she even was allowed to keep any items she was sent from clothing companies in exchange for a little promo, as sending freebies to a royal is actually a no-go. Daily Mirror's fashion and beauty director Amber Graafland explained to Yahoo! Life, "You can imagine that every brand in the world is desperate for Meghan or Kate [Middleton] to be seen wearing their clothes because it's a huge endorsement, it's amazing advertising." But, according to Graafland, if the royals are sent freebies and they want to wear them, they have to pay for them.
Super feminine and on-trend was the name of the now Duchess of Sussex's game in 2010
Though we're used to seeing Markle in classic neutrals like navy, cream, and white, there was a time where she was more liberal with color. Just before her life changed for the better by landing her role in "Suits," Markle made an appearance at the Some Kind-a Gorgeous Style and Beauty Lounge at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles wearing a strappy and somewhat shiny coral pink mini dress. The irony? According to The Lady, spaghetti straps are a royal no-no and cannot be worn in the presence of a royal family member when they attend an annual horse racing day known as Royal Ascot. But we're guessing that didn't exactly bother Markle at the time as she soaked up the fun in her lounge thousands of miles away.
Meghan accessorized the mini dress with a thin waist belt, which was so on trend at the time. But despite being a hot accessory, this look wasn't one of her best as the belt somewhat crumpled her mini dress. When it came to her shoes, Meghan wore something we're not so used to seeing her in anymore. Flat sandals. The star is now more famous for her pumps and stiletto heels, so it marks quite the change from the shoe styles we associate with her today.
Around 2011, Meghan Markle's style became chicer and more sophisticated
By 2011, there was a pretty sizable shift in Meghan Markle's style choices after she became a television series regular. She began wearing more structured, sophisticated pieces, particularly on the red carpet. That new look included the iconic, chic black midi dress that she wore to the Anti-Defamation League Entertainment Industry Awards dinner. The classic and elegant look featured a peplum around her waist and had a high-neck that accentuated her toned arms. The look was clear evidence of Markle's own style becoming entwined with that of her "Suits" character, Rachel Zane, as the latter was famous for her sophisticated, yet sexy business attire. Around this time, we also saw Meghan Markle experiment more with her hair, as she swapped her super dark locks for a more caramel tone.
Markle actually discussed developing Rachel's style in a post on her now defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, revealing she played close attention to what Rachel should look like after her first audition in order to nab the role. "I had been given a last minute note about my appearance — they wanted more conservative, think hair pulled back and business attire," she recalled (via The Tig Archives). Markle then added that she actually bought a black dress for $45 on the way to the audition, which she then wore and held on to. Though it's not clear if it's the same black ensemble she wore to the dinner.
Meghan Markle started to take more fashion risks after hitting the big time with Suits in 2012
After finding fame as a regular on "Suits," it seemed Meghan Markle started to feel more comfortable taking fashion risks and experimenting with different styles. In 2012, she attended the TV Guide Magazine Hot List Party and walked the red carpet looking absolutely stunning in a geometric print formfitting dress.
The look marked one of the rare times we've seen Markle go strapless, as she bared her shoulders while looking super confident in the black, blue, pink, and gray dress. The body-hugging nature of the outfit certainly proved she was getting more used to all eyes being on her. As for the accessories, she kept things simple with pointed black pumps (which is one of the most versatile shoes you can own, by the way) and a matching clutch.
Markle herself has shared just how much she really embraced Rachel Zane's look the more she played her. "My style has changed so much since I started working on ['Suits']," she told The Outnet in 2014. "Everything I used to wear was a bit more chill and now because of our exposure to these amazing designers and the clothes that Rachel wears ... it's kind of amazing how my style has become a bit more polished and adapted to that aesthetic."
The actor cut a more casual figure when she first started dating Prince Harry
When Meghan Markle first started dating Prince Harry in 2016, people started taking note of her off-the-red-carpet style. In September 2017, for example, both Meghan and Harry went super casual to attend the Invictus Games, which Harry founded, to mark their first official outing together. Markle went for a very classic look, made up of a simple white Misha NooNoo button down and Mother ripped jeans. She completed the classic look with brown shoes by Sarah Flint, a matching tote bag, and dark sunglasses.
Though ripped blue jeans may not be a typical royal go-to, though Prince Harry claimed in his tell-all book "Spare" that the look had been approved by the royal family's team. The Prince added that because of this, he wasn't happy about the media scrutiny Meghan's outfit received from some publications across the pond. He shared that he'd have liked a statement to have been issued by his family confirming the look was given the royal go-ahead, noting (via Us Weekly), "It might've made a world of difference."
Later in 2017, Meghan Markle's wardrobe became all about royal style
We saw another shift in Meghan Markle's wardrobe choices when she and Prince Harry announced their engagement in September 2017. Though Meghan had dabbled in some royal-appropriate attire during her time with the Duke of Sussex, we really saw her step into her sophisticated royal wardrobe once that stunning engagement ring was on her finger.
Megan being Megan though, she opted for a modern take on the style, which we saw when she and Harry spoke to the press about their big news. For the occasion, she rocked a white trench coat from Line the Label, which turned out to be a hit with fans. Once the exact style was revealed, Line the Label's website crashed as there were so many people looking to get their hands on the outerwear. But that's not all. She wore an emerald green dress underneath the coat, designed by Parosh, which sold out after she was spotted in it. To tie the look together, Markle rocked strappy heels by Aquazzura.
Neutrals made up a lot of Meghan Markle's royal wardrobe in 2018 and beyond
As a member of the royal family, Meghan Markle appeared to rely on a lot of neutrals to make up her wardrobe. During a visit to Cardiff Castle in Wales in January 2018, she wore a chic all black outfit, including a thick black wrap coat to keep her warm in the British weather. In keeping with the royal family's tradition to dress in British brands, Meghan's outerwear was designed by Stella McCartney, daughter to The Beatles' star Paul McCartney. For anyone looking to get the exact same style, well, that would set you back over $1,700. The Duchess of Sussex also rocked ankle boots from Tabitha Simmons and carried a green and timelessly stylish top-handle bag by DeMellier London.
Meghan explained why she drained a lot of the color from her wardrobe on the Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan," admitting the choice to go for muted colors or neutrals was, in fact, very intentional. "To my understanding, you can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II] if there's a group event. But then you also should never be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family," she explained (via Town & Country). "So I was like, 'Well what's a color that they'll probably never wear?' Camel? Beige? White?" And we definitely did see her in those colors a lot.
Her 2019 pregnancy style brought a little more fun into her wardrobe
When Meghan Markle fell pregnant with her and Prince Harry's first child, who we now know to be son Archie, she changed her style up again. We saw her make the move back to bold and colorful pieces after purposefully avoiding vibrancy for a lot of her time as a working royal. And in a big way, too.
In January 2019 during a visit to Birkenhead, U.K., we saw more color on the Duchess of Sussex than we had in a long time. She wore a bright red coat from Sentaler and matching Stuart Weitzman heels with a bright purple dress from Babaton by Aritizia underneath. She accessorized that with a brown Gabriela Hearst bag, proving she wasn't quite ready to give up the neutrals entirely.
"Meghan always looks perfectly polished, and her maternity style is no different," Ariane Goldman, founder of the maternity label Hatch, told Hello! of the then royal's looks while she was expecting. "She's made every outfit appear effortless and chic while staying true to herself, and I love that she's showing off her bump as it grows."
Meghan Markle returned more to her original style after stepping down as a working royal
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made the decision to officially step down from their roles as working royals in 2020, and, following that bombshell revelation, we saw Markle make somewhat of a return to her former, laid back style. While attending the 2020 Invictus Games, which were delayed to 2022 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Meghan wore an outfit that appeared to be a nod to her and Harry's first appearance at the event back in 2017. As we know, in 2017 she rocked a white button down shirt and jeans with sunglasses, but six years later, she wore a somewhat updated version of that look that more reflected her style evolution up to that point.
Label-loving Meghan wowed in a Celine jacket (worth around $2,800) over a white top. The star wore those designer pieces (plus sunglasses from Linda Farrow priced at $945) while also making a triumphant return to blue jeans. Instead of a ripped pair this time, Meghan instead wore her pants turned up. Also gone were the court shoes, which were oh so fashionable at the time, and the footwear we regularly saw her sport regularly as a royal. In their place? Chanel flats. Ooh la la!
Meghan Markle's post-royal style got more daring
A few years after leaving the royal family, Meghan Markle's looks appeared to get a little more daring as she settled into her own style post-royalty. During the 2023 Invictus Games, she wowed in a strapless Cult Gaia dress with laser cut-outs, without any lining or underskirt beyond her thighs — which probably would have been a royal no-no. Markle paired the eye-catching midi with nude heels from the same brand she rocked to announce her engagement, Aquazzura. Those shoes weren't on the cheap though, as they retail for around $663. Though Markle may not have been a working royal by this point, she was certainly spending the cash like a princess. According to Daily Mail, the slew of outfits she stepped out in throughout the 2023 Invictus Games came with a hefty price tag of almost $379,000
As for what's next from Meghan's wardrobe? It sounds like there's another chapter coming in her style transformation amid the launch of her new brand, American Riviera Orchard. Meghan debuted the brand's Instagram in March 2024, which it was revealed she'd started working with stylist Jamie Mizrahi to revamp her look. "Jamie has encouraged Meghan to ditch the dark colors and heavy fabrics in favor of lighter colors and more feminine materials," Amber Graafland teased to The Sun.