{"id":716,"date":"2023-10-12T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/?p=716"},"modified":"2023-10-13T14:02:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T14:02:39","slug":"the-meaning-behind-meghans-masterclass-california-ceo-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/2023\/10\/12\/the-meaning-behind-meghans-masterclass-california-ceo-look\/","title":{"rendered":"Meghan Markle’s new style secrets decoded"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-post-title” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Black Han Sans|700||on|||||” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”46px” header_letter_spacing=”4px” custom_margin=”25px||5px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Meghan Markle’s new style secrets decoded<\/span><\/span><\/h1>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-name” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Black Han Sans|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_font=”|||on|||||” header_4_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

WORDS: Natalie Hammond<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-12-at-12.57.40.png” alt=”Russell Brand” title_text=”Screenshot 2023-10-12 at 12.57.40″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

When Meghan Markle took her seat as part of The Archewell Foundation Parents\u2019 Summit this week, she just so happened to match the armchairs provided for panellists. For those who have been paying close attention, this marks the fourth time in the past month that she\u2019s chosen to wear that particular shade: a sumptuous cream that is almost exclusively the preserve of the 1%. If three times is a trend, four times has got to be approaching a life choice – right? And it\u2019s one that makes sense if you have carte blanche (no pun intended) when it comes to private cars and particularly long dry-cleaning bills.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1728281418.jpg” title_text=”Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival 2023″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

OCTOBER 10: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage at The Archewell Foundation Parents\u2019 Summit<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Markle\u2019s outfit was an off-the-shoulder blazer with matching wide-leg trousers by Altuzarra, worn with an impressively high pair of stiletto-heeled pumps measuring 11.5cm. Hollywood meets Goop, the whole look was aided by an emerald choker that wouldn\u2019t look out of place on the red carpet and a strategically \u2018messy\u2019 bun that didn\u2019t distract from the seriousness of the occasion. And it\u2019s just the latest example of how the Duchess, still stretching her style legs after being governed by the rules constricting the wardrobes of working royals for several years, has finally found the sartorial equivalent of her \u2018happy place\u2019. <\/p>\n

At last month\u2019s Invictus Games, Markle\u2019s wardrobe was a masterclass in soft-power outfits that still looked polished to perfection. Although, of course, people were quick to criticise the fact that her trousers appear creased. Assuming that nothing is left to chance, however, perhaps that\u2019s part of the charm. Markle\u2019s only human, after all, and most of us have to sit down occasionally… More and more, not only is she cherry-picking silhouettes that she used to wear on repeat before joining the royal family, but she\u2019s choosing designers that have decidedly \u2018fashion\u2019 credentials.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1682542982.jpg” title_text=”2023 Invictus Games D\u00fcsseldorf” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

SEPTEMBER 15: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the cycling medal ceremony at the Invictus Games<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Her \u2018Californian CEO\u2019 look certainly doesn\u2019t ignore the design legends. (Her Cartier Tank watch rarely leaves her left wrist, after all, and her footwear is almost exclusively Chanel, Dior, Manolo Blahnik and Aquazzura.) Establishment brands like Ralph Lauren, Max Mara, Valentino and Carolina Herrera, which she wore several times on her recent trip to Dusseldorf, still have their place. And there\u2019s a good smattering of high street shops like Zara, Banana Republic and J.Crew, whose website actually crashed after she was spotted wearing one of its cream-and-black cardigans on 13 September. There\u2019s less need to be a woman of the people but, one suspects, the tabloids\u2019 tendency to pick over everything she wears has left her with a life-long desire to not be seen as tone deaf when it comes to cost. She certainly hasn\u2019t forgotten the art of the high-low mix, however. You know that time she wore Banana Republic? She cinched her waist with a belt from Bottega Veneta.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1683247196.jpg” title_text=”Invictus Games D\u00fcsseldorf 2023 – Day 6″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

SEPTEMBER 15: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the True Patriot Love Reception at the Invictus Games, wearing a Toteme dress<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

But more and more, she\u2019s relying on a lesser-known crop of labels that show her growing style confidence. Stockholm\u2019s Toteme is one such brand. Known for a particularly delicious blanket-stitch coat that sells out as soon as it drops, as well as its spare approach to shirting and tailoring, Toteme might as well be the textbook definition of quiet luxury. (The same people who wear the achingly chic The Row? They\u2019re almost certainly as obsessed with Toteme, with the added bonus that it belongs to a slightly more manageable price bracket.) <\/p>\n

Markle owns its mini cable-knit sweater, its pleated high-waist trousers and its sleeveless wool midi dress, all in the pleasingly wearable shade of grey that\u2019s trending right now. The dress was a particular revelation. Made of 100% wool, it was simple yet striking with a pair of spike-heeled pumps from Dior. Markle\u2019s style, remember, has never been overtly feminine. Even as a senior royal who was expected to wear a uniform of dress coats, hats and heels, Markle always took a modern approach, preferring block colours over pastels, bold stripes over tepid florals. This Toteme dress feels very \u2018her\u2019. Dig a little deeper, however, and perhaps it\u2019s also a statement of intent about her style choices being on her terms.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1685133404-1.jpg” title_text=”Invictus Games D\u00fcsseldorf 2023 – Closing Ceremony” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

SEPTEMBER 16: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

As well as wearing the new designer establishment, Markle has returned to an old silhouette. For the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games, she wore a strapless dress that wouldn\u2019t have looked out of place at a red carpet premiere for the latest season of Suits. Made of lace-cut flowers that have been pieced together to reveal subtle flashes of leg, it was nothing short of a film-star moment as she was photographed in the arena with Prince Harry. (FYI, strapless is also a silhouette that she wears off-duty as well as on. In August, she wore a black-and-white striped bandeau dress from Posse, teaming it with leather thong sandals, for what looked like a casual dinner in Montecito.)<\/p>\n

And while we\u2019re on the subject of silhouettes, Markle\u2019s also not afraid to wear what works for her – regardless of whether or not it\u2019s currently on trend. A case in point is her commitment to skinny jeans. Although the shape we all wore in 2015 has been edged out by straight-legged and wide-legged styles, Markle has remained loyal to skinnies. She even wore a pair a few days ago – Frame\u2019s Le Skinny De Jeanne, which she owns in black and white – when she and her husband made a visit to a school in Brooklyn. On the few occasions that she wore jeans as a working royal, she also favoured slim-fit jeans. Clearly, she knows what works for her.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1679314020.jpg” title_text=”Invictus Games 2023″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

It\u2019s easy to read too much into what she\u2019s wearing, looking for signs where there\u2019s simply a pair of shoes. Because her \u2018new\u2019 wardrobe isn\u2019t so much of a 180 as a distilled – and, yes, probably more designer – version of what she was always most comfortable wearing. Take the heels, for example. Meghan hasn\u2019t started to wear stiletto-heeled pumps since leaving The Firm, although it might be nice to think that she\u2019s reaching new heights. The Aquazzura Purist Pumps that she wore for the panel talk at this week\u2019s mental health conference were exactly the same pair she chose for 2020\u2019s Commonwealth Day Service, an event that would be one of her last as a senior working royal. <\/p>\n

So if this isn\u2019t Meghan 2.0, what is it exactly? A Californian glow-up – featuring strapless dresses and anti-stress patches – that simply means she\u2019s enjoying being able to shop for herself? Possibly. Or is she putting her best fashion foot forward because she\u2019s about to announce the launch of a label-slash-lifestyle-offering \u00e0 la Gwyneth Paltrow? Again, possibly. All we can say for certain is that it would sell two things for sure: skinny jeans and skyscraper heels.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]

IMAGE: Getty<\/span><\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We take a deep-dive…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"revans","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":742,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions\/742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}