It’s Kate Middleton who’s known as the Recycling Royal. The Duchess of Cambridge is a huge fan of doing the unthinkable by, *gasp*, wearing the same outfit more than once. For example, just a few weeks ago Kate stepped out in the same Emilia Wickstead dress that she originally debuted for a royal tour back in 2017. Now, it looks as though Meghan Markle could also be taking a leaf out of her sister-in-law’s book when it comes to rewearing her favorite past outfits.
For the penultimate evening appearance on her and Prince Harry’s current royal tour, the Duchess of Sussex arrived for a reception hosted by the Prime Minister of New Zealand at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, wearing a dress that might just look somewhat familiar. Looking smart and so elegant, Meghan chose to recycle one of her favorite past looks—a navy blue Antonio Berardi dress, double breasted with dark buttons, and a cascading dipped hem.
On Tuesday, the Duchess styled the classic dress by one of her favorite designers with grey suede heels and the Dior 'Bee' clutch bag. There’s no question that Meghan looks incredible in the dress, so it’s hardly surprising to know that she kept it at the back of her wardrobe for almost a year and a half.
Last time we saw Meghan wearing this one was a much less formal occasion and she was yet to become a member of the royal family, so the styling was a little more playful and casual. Attending the Audi Polo Challenge back in 2017 as a Suits actress and Harry's new love interest, Meghan wore the very same dress with a white blazer over her shoulders, black heels, sunglasses and a cute polkadot couch bag.
It’s possible that the dress does also have a little bit of sentimentality for the couple, too. Meghan’s appearance in the Antonio Berardi dress was the first public outing that she and Prince Harry made together as a couple. It was the first time that she attended an official society function, and watched proudly from the Royal box as Harry played polo. Now, it’s clear that the event was an understated introduction for royal family fans to Meghan, before she attended Pippa Middleton’s wedding reception two weeks later as his date and serious girlfriend.
Let this dress be some life motivation to us all—you might just be casually hanging out at the polo match right now, but this time next year you could be making a grand entrance at a royal tour reception. Truly inspiring.
