On the day she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was whisked to her wedding reception by new husband Prince Harry in a powder-blue Jaguar E-type, wearing a fluid white halter-neck gown by Stella McCartney. Six years on, she flashed back to that hopeful moment with a surprise public outing in LA at the 2024 ESPY Awards, where she joined Harry (who was being presented with the Pat Tillman Award for Service) on the red carpet wearing a backless white dress by Oscar de la Renta.
Besides bringing back memories of her bridal style, Meghan’s chosen look had all the hallmarks of her most memorable forays onto the red carpet (one-shouldered Givenchy for the Fashion Awards, sleek and chic VB for a final appearance in London, pale and interesting Proenza at the Power of Women gala): classic, understated, effective. She added black strappy sandals, her signature simple low bun and a subtle smattering of diamonds, along with a white, yellow and rose gold ring by Rodi.
Unlike when she was a working member of the royal family, these days public sightings of Meghan – now a Montecito mum-of-two and aspiring lifestyle guru – are few and far between, but what we do see of the Duchess indicates that she subscribes to the school of quiet luxury, from her Loro Piana separates to cashmere by The Row. Her Oscar de la Renta look, then, was something of a break from the norm, given that the LA brand – also popular with Gen Z super Bella Hadid – has dresses that start from around £200.
