Meghan Markle did the very normal (but rare for Royals) thing of recycling a fancy dress. The Duchess of Sussex made a surprise appearance at a gala for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles over the weekend, wearing a stunning red Carolina Herrera halter dress. And it’s one we’ve seen before.
Back in November 2021, Markle wore the same gown to the Salute to Freedom gala at the Intrepid Museum in New York City in celebration of Veterans’ Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the U.K. She wore a red poppy pinned to her neckline. She also wore it with her train and skirt padding attached and styled the look with her hair in a sleek, pinned-up up-do and red satin pumps.
This time, she wore the dress with much less length and volume, a simple and straightforward dress with a leg slit down the middle. Her hair was worn down to give it a more down-to-earth vibe, and her jewelry was minimal. She paired the dress with a strappy sandal.
It’s obviously no secret that Royals, and the women of the Royal family in particular, face a lot of scrutiny for what they wear, not just in terms of repetition, but also in terms of color and cohesion, perceived respect and homage. So it’s quite a rare sight to see Markle dressing down a gown she’s worn at an event prior, even though who actually remembers this kind of thing? At any rate, her new style seems to really reflect a newfound comfort and privacy since leaving the Royal family also a distinctly Californian sensibility.