The Duchess of Sussex's Maternity Fashion: October 2018 -

[Rudolph]

The shoes and coat are nice, but the dress doesn't seem to fit very well.
(Maybe it's just that I don't like such clingy maternity wear).

It definitely doesn’t fit. You can see her bellybutton in some of the pics

 

[O-H Anglophile]

It definitely doesn’t fit. You can see her bellybutton in some of the pics

That's because Meghan is wearing a fitted knit dress, it doesn't mean the dress doesn't fit or is too small.

 

[rominet09]

I love the fact that some papers have noticed that she already worn some parts of her outfit….impeccable as usual !

 

[kathia_sophia]

I actually don't mind the turtle neck. It gives a different touch on her look.

 

[Ista]

It definitely doesn’t fit. You can see her bellybutton in some of the pics

The belly button thing is always tough at this stage in a pregnancy. Once it pops, it is almost impossible to disguise, unless it is covered by something like a coat or a shift-type dress. Anything even slightly fitted, or a solid color, it is likely to show.

 

[COUNTESS]

The belly button thing is always tough at this stage in a pregnancy. Once it pops, it is almost impossible to disguise, unless it is covered by something like a coat or a shift-type dress. Anything even slightly fitted, or a solid color, it is likely to show.

Unfortunately, this is the style, today.

 

[ACO]

It definitely doesn’t fit. You can see her bellybutton in some of the pics

It fits just fine. It’s just not loose. She likes clothes that hugs the skin so because of that you will see things like the belly button. If it’s loose you won’t. Kind of how it works.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

She looks gorgeous gorgeous, and so darn CHIC with her hair like that.

I know that the fullness in her face is typical of women in late pregnancy but Meghan's is the first "pregnant face" that I find even more beautiful than her more thin face.

She is glowing like a candle.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

The dress comes in maxi-length too, but Meghan wore the midi-length version and it looks great on her. The olive shoes and clutch are repeats from what Meghan wore for Prince Louis' christening last summer. And of course, the coat is a repeat from Commonwealth day service last year:
Mad About Meghan
https://whatmeghanwore.net/
Meghan & Harry Attend 'The Wider Earth' Performance - Meghan's Mirror (Scroll down for the lovely and affordable 'Mirror Meg' options. The white turtleneck knit coat dress option is stunning).

I love this updo hairstyle with the off-center part and hair side swept on one side and pulled back neatly into a gorgeous chignon. Here's a profile pic which offers an excellent view of Meghan's elegant chignon, with a slight bouffant puff to her hair at the top of her head. So this style is not as tightly pulled back as the style Meghan wore to the Endeavour Awards last week. I'm really loving how Meghan is mixing things up with her creative hairstyling:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lk2vVI6u...dalWwDeDNAtpGEeJiC_2ngCLcBGAs/s1600/ifeb8.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mkzmHv82...00NEyy432f566bZEaee0zWOQCLcBGAs/s1600/udv.jpg

Kate wore white to the BAFTA awards on Sunday, and now Meghan in white too. I love what one fashion observer had to say about the choice of white:

"'It's been one of those weeks for the Duchess of Sussex... Against a rather fraught backdrop, Meghan could have been forgiven for not overthinking her look for a gala performance of The Wider Earth at the Natural History Museum. Instead, she used her style choices to depict a statement of power and peace.'

Her outfit was an uncannily excellent iteration of a trend which has unfurled of late amongst some of the world's most photographed women. I'm calling it 'woke white', white, of course, being the shade of the suffragette movement and peace.'"

 

[Lumutqueen]

Again a huge miss for me. She looks like a giant snowball. Turtlenecks very rarely suit anyone, particularly someone who is almost 8 months pregnant. The whole white outfit is boring and for me should have been broken up with a different dress or different jacket in a colour. The accessories are the best part of the outfit.

Her hair does nothing for her except make her face look rounder, but I appreciate that it's out of her face.

Also again, a new dress that's not specifically designed to be maternity wear from an American designer. Such a shame.

 

[Lilyflo]

I love the layered whites/creams, the olive accessories & her hair style.

Many women of her generation wear close fitting clothes in pregnancy. I prefer looser as to me it's more elegant but she still looks lovely.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Meghan is radiant, glowing, and very lovely in white. She's carrying and wearing her pregnancy well.

 

[muriel]

> Good to see Meghan reuse her shoes, bag and coat

> I think the colour looks nice

> I know a lot of people did not like the turtle neck on the dress, but I am ambivalent about it.

> What I strongly dislike is the clingy material of the dress, and its complete inability to mask the popped navel. Perhaps it is because it is not maternity wear (see below), but this just detracts so much from the overall look.

Also again, a new dress that's not specifically designed to be maternity wear from an American designer. Such a shame.

> I have to agree. Clothes designed as maternity wear fit so much better.

> And as to the American designer, I guess my thoughts on the matter are well known!

 

[Lilyflo]

Since marrying into the BRF, Meghan should definitely be championing British brands mostly & then Commonwealth ones. Of course it's great if she wears other things that she bought before marriage & she can still buy some overseas brands but they should only be the minority of her new wardrobe. It's a bit imbalanced at the moment & I hope by the end of the year, she's increasingly flying the flag for the British fashion industry.

 

[Mademoiselle Lilo]

She looks great in white i like the look coat and dtess are great combo but i think the dress is ill fitted but whatever she is aye syage of pregnancy maybe nothing fitt

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Apparently, Meghan is not interested in wearing full-on voluminous maternity wear which would likely swamp her figure and make her look bigger and even more like a blimp. ?

I came across the below articles about Meghan's London hair stylist, George Northwood, who reportedly accompanied her on the South Pacific tour, and he also styled her hair for the wedding reception. Yet, it was hairstylist Serge Normant who created Meghan's hairstyle for the wedding ceremony:
https://www.bustle.com/p/who-is-meg...edly-joined-the-duchess-in-australia-12585725
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/george-northwood-meghan-markle-australia

So probably it is George Northwood who is behind Meghan's creative hairstyles over the months since her wedding. They must be working as a unit for the inspiration.

Vogue has been following Meghan's maternity style and writing about her fashion evolution:
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meghan-duchess-of-sussex-calvin-klein-natural-history-museum
Some people can wear turtlenecks well and others can't. Meghan has a long neck so turtlenecks look good on her. In the above article, a Vogue fashion editor mentions the inspiration for the turtleneck style of the moment.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meghan-markle-duchess-of-sussex-endeavour-awards-givenchy
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meghan-snow-style
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meghans-favourite-sustainable-fashion
https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/meghan-markle-style-file

Ah, this Meghan glamorous moment is so reminiscent of Diana PoW:
https://vg-images.condecdn.net/image/lL496YawrKB/crop/1020/f/GettyImages-450710983_master.jpg Just like her mother-in-law, Meghan has always been fashion savvy
https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asse...g?cache=Fj1Sm1kaPd&ops=scalefit_630_noupscale

 

[muriel]

Apparently, Meghan is not interested in wearing full-on voluminous maternity wear which would likely swamp her figure and make her look bigger and even more like a blimp. ?

She does not have to wear "full-on voluminous maternity wear", but she can certainly wear clothes that fit and look elegant. Maternity wear has come a long way from the tents of the 1980s.

Since marrying into the BRF, Meghan should definitely be championing British brands mostly & then Commonwealth ones. Of course it's great if she wears other things that she bought before marriage & she can still buy some overseas brands but they should only be the minority of her new wardrobe. It's a bit imbalanced at the moment & I hope by the end of the year, she's increasingly flying the flag for the British fashion industry.

I could not agree more.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

She does not have to wear "full-on voluminous maternity wear", but she can certainly wear clothes that fit and look elegant. Maternity wear has come a long way from the tents of the 1980s.

Right, DoS Meghan does not have to wear 'full-on voluminous maternity wear,' so she doesn't.

Also, HRH Duchess Meghan does not have to wear what anyone thinks she should be wearing. She's doing as she sees fit, and she must be having a blast in the process too. As far as her clothes 'fitting' or 'befitting' anyone's notion of what she should be wearing, that's likely in the eye of the beholder. Not every beholder is overwrought and over-critical, but quite a number of people are interested, what with everything DoS Meghan wears selling faster than hotcakes; literally flying off brand websites and piling up back-stock orders.

DoS Meghan is apparently a 'blooming phenomenon.' And Prince Harry admittedly feels 'so lucky.' ? Sussex baby is lucky; Sussex parents are lucky; Sussex fans are lucky. Everyone not a fan has their nose out of joint more often than not.

As far as the British fashion industry, between DoC Kate, DoS Meghan, and all the other British royal ladies, I think British fashion is doing more than quite fine. The British economy is surely pleased as well with DoS Meghan having joined the royal family, a welcome phenomenon which has been generating the kind of long-lasting interest that will continue to fuel the British economy and the British fashion industry for the lucrative present and the foreseeable future.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I love the layered whites/creams, the olive accessories & her hair style.

Many women of her generation wear close fitting clothes in pregnancy. I prefer looser as to me it's more elegant but she still looks lovely.

I also do not like to see pregnant women in tight clothing...but for millenials and certain women in the public eye it's all about celebrating "the bump".

But it doesn't come off vulgar on the DoS as it does on some. She looks radiant.

 

[Countessmeout]

Since marrying into the BRF, Meghan should definitely be championing British brands mostly & then Commonwealth ones. Of course it's great if she wears other things that she bought before marriage & she can still buy some overseas brands but they should only be the minority of her new wardrobe. It's a bit imbalanced at the moment & I hope by the end of the year, she's increasingly flying the flag for the British fashion industry.

Wouldn't it be great if she was held to the same standards as the other royal women

In a week where we have seen other British royals wearing Valentino, Channel and many other high end luxury brands from other countries, I would expect to see such comments about 'flying the British brand'. Sadly those on this board who constantly strangle Meghan for not wearing all British, don't bat an eyelash when others do.

Either care about British designers or don't. For all Royal women.


As for commonwealth designers (not American) they aren't foreign designers. If the queen is on our money, they are our royal family too. Its about time a British royal actually represents our country except the rare visit they make on our dime.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

(..)

Apparently, Meghan has always enjoyed wearing figure-hugging clothes:
https://vg-images.condecdn.net/image/a8oAXByj1PN/crop/1020/f/GettyImages-151839272_master.jpg

Obviously, she doesn't seem to feel there's any reason to stop simply because she's pregnant. As @MARG recently said in another Sussex thread:
"I really look forward to how Meghan sees herself and participates in any event, big and bonny though she be. She is really pushing the 'pregnancy is not a disease' message...”

 

[Empress Merel]

I like the outfit, but I think I would have liked it better in daytime. All the white during nighttime photographs rather stark. Plus I hate the turtleneck. It's all a bit too much but indeed, she does look glowing.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

I like the outfit, but I think I would have liked it better in daytime. All the white during nighttime photographs rather stark. Plus I hate the turtleneck. It's all a bit too much but indeed, she does look glowing.

Was DoC Kate's angelic white at BAFTA too stark for you as well? Some people mentioned wishing her gown instead had been the pink one suspected that she wore to Prince Charles' birthday bash. In any case, these royal ladies, they are definitely paying our preferences no mind. ?

By now, I just watch and I try to take inspiration in ways I can for what might work for me. HRH Duchess of Sussex Meghan is less than a year married and pregnant, living in her new country, and setting an admirable pace. She 'suits' herself, as she should. Being oneself and suiting oneself is more than just a notion. It's likely a necessity. It's likely the key to achieving success.

 

[Lilyflo]

Wouldn't it be great if she was held to the same standards as the other royal women

In a week where we have seen other British royals wearing Valentino, Channel and many other high end luxury brands from other countries, I would expect to see such comments about 'flying the British brand'. Sadly those on this board who constantly strangle Meghan for not wearing all British, don't bat an eyelash when others do.

Either care about British designers or don't. For all Royal women.

I don't "constantly strangle Meghan" & I'm a strong supporter of her because she has so much to offer & is doing a great job. As a high profile royal woman though, she is expected to champion British fashion, which in my view she could do more of. Nobody says she has to wear "all British" & nobody is saying she can't wear other brands but the balance over time should be British mostly, then commonwealth, then others.

As for other BRF women (except the Queen), only Catherine has the same media coverage so it's important for both of them. The other royal women don't have the same impact in the media so although they should also champion British fashion, it doesn't make a huge difference if they don't.

 

[Ista]

Wouldn't it be great if she was held to the same standards as the other royal women

I think she is held to the same standard. Like most of the younger royals, she wears a mixture of domestic, Commonwealth and foreign designers. There is nothing wrong with that, and I expect she will continue. The problem arises when the ratio of domestic/Commonwealth to international seems disproportionately weighted to the international end, or when she chooses to wear Dior, or Carolina Herrera, or something along those lines to events that are seen as inherently British: Trooping the Colours, etc.

You personally might not see it as a big deal, but it is a legitimate thing to discuss on a fashion thread, and I've seen zero evidence that she is being held to a standard that hasn't been applied equally to other royal women.

 

[TLLK]

I love Meghan's all white choice but agree with those that the turtleneck and fabric are too clingy at this stage in her pregnancy.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

That is one big baby, and as previously mentioned, Meghan is a small-framed lady. And to repeat @MARG's thoughtful comment:
"I really look forward to how Meghan sees herself and participates in any event, big and bonny though she be. She is really pushing the 'pregnancy is not a disease' message...”

Here's palate-cleansing commentary on fashion and Meghan's royal pregnancy:
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion...rnity-wardrobe-modern-duchess-wear-royal-baby
"Getting pregnant while newly minted into the royal family, when the spotlight on her is at full beam, will make the focus on Meghan’s maternity look even more intense than it would have been in a year or two... Maternity fashion is where we watch women morphing into mothers. Traditional maternity wear – smocks in spriggy florals, babyish sailor-suit trims as once favoured by the Duchess of York – looked as if it had been made from offcuts left after the nursery had been decorated. This made the mother-to-be’s new status pretty clear: domestic, relegated from grownup decision-making, a person whose public existence was to be at the edges of her children. The arrival of stretchy maternity jeans around the beginning of this century marked a sea change. (Wait, maybe pregnant women are still normal people!) Now there are maternity business suits with stretchy side panels, maternity athleisure, even maternity Spanx for red-carpet events..."

I have to laugh at the article's ending salvo:
"Sleek and subtle is what we, the public, want from [Meghan], it seems, because the one time she wore a blowsy floral Oscar de la Renta maxidress, for a wedding, was the one time she was heavily critiqued for her choice. Meghan’s role is that of the modern duchess. And modernity is about to meet maternity."

Where has this writer been? There's way more than one time Meghan has been criticized! But yeah, perhaps Meghan was universally panned for wearing that pretty, but overly voluminous country wedding outfit.

I wonder if this writer has updated their commentary, since this was written shortly after the pregnancy announcement! The reviews by the public seem mixed, with some traditionalists apparently not wanting to see Meghan wearing comfortable body-hugging outfits. I'm glad that's what she's been choosing though, because I think anything too loose would swallow her whole, as did the country wedding Oscar de la Renta dress. Early in her marriage, seemingly Meghan was bending over backward trying to fit in, until she finally decided, 'Heck with it, I'm going to do me, and let the chips fall where they may.'

Here's a view of how pregnancy and royal fashion have evolved over the years:
https://footwearnews.com/2018/fashi...a-royal-maternity-style-evolution-1202697769/

 

[Mirabel]

I wonder if this writer has updated their commentary! The reviews by the public seem mixed, with some traditionalists apparently not wanting to see Meghan wearing comfortable body-hugging outfits. I'm glad that's what she's been choosing though, because I think anything too loose would swallow her whole, as did the country wedding Oscar de la Renta dress.

But there is a happy medium between tent-like maternity clothing and skin-tight!
Seraphine has beautiful maternity wear, and it appears to be very comfortable.

 

[Britters]

I feel like the word "gala" is thrown around so loosely these days because no one at the event looks dressed for what I normally associate with a gala lol.

Meghan looks absolutely sensational. Head to toe perfection in my book. She wears white sooo well.

But 'Gala', by definition is simply a social gathering with special entertainment/performance. You can have a Black-Tie Gala, or a Garden Party Gala, a Carnival or a cocktail Gala!


Onto Meghan's outfit. I LOVED this look. She looked serene, peaceful and happy. And considering the beating she took <again> at the hands of her father <again>, this woman is holding herself with such grace! The repeats are nice to see, if only to get people off her back.

It's interesting, pre-pregnancy, Meghan's working wardrobe favored more loose fitting, "large" clothing, I complained that it felt a lot like she was choosing clothes that just hung on her, or "wore" her. In pregnancy is is really going for more tight fitting. It's a stark contrast and I'm interested to see if she goes back to the "oversize" post pregnancy. I question if the tight fit is as some say, because she's choosing clothes not designed for maternity, or is a choice on her part because she's so proud and happy and excited about this pregnancy!

She really is all baby. I've seen people say her belly is so large because she's so petite, and while she is thin naturally, she's an average height. I do believe she's growing a large baby!

 

[MaiaMia_53]

(..)

I think she is held to the same standard. Like most of the younger royals, she wears a mixture of domestic, Commonwealth and foreign designers. There is nothing wrong with that, and I expect she will continue. The problem arises when the ratio of domestic/Commonwealth to international seems disproportionately weighted to the international end, or when she chooses to wear Dior, or Carolina Herrera, or something along those lines to events that are seen as inherently British: Trooping the Colours, etc.

You personally might not see it as a big deal, but it is a legitimate thing to discuss on a fashion thread, and I've seen zero evidence that she is being held to a standard that hasn't been applied equally to other royal women.

Who gets to decide the appropriate ratio? ? Such apportioning scrutiny is OTT and off-base when applied to anyone.

When Meghan wore an off-the-shoulder gown at the British Fashion Awards, she was heavily criticized in some quarters and erroneously characterized in the media as 'breaking protocol.' Another royal lady, wearing her off-the-shoulder dress the other evening, was universally lauded as 'classy, angelic, elegant.' Not a word about 'breaking protocol.' Because she wasn't, but neither was Meghan. There's plenty of 'evidence' whether or not you are perceiving it.