As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their Australian tour, Meghan Markle’s wardrobe selections did more than honor local designers; they quietly engaged with a century of lingerie-informed design philosophy. Her choice of a sculpted navy dress by Karen Gee for a hospital visit, with its defined waist and structured skirt, directly references the post-war New Look silhouette championed by Christian Dior—a revolution built upon the foundational garments of corsetry and structured slips. This is not mere fashion; it is wearing a tailored history.
Later, at the Veterans Arts Museum, her ensemble from Byron Bay label St. Agni presented a modern counterpoint. The cocoon bomber and column skirt speak to a contemporary ease, yet their monochromatic cohesion and fluid lines owe a debt to the 1970s dissolution of rigid understructures, when designers like Halston pioneered a sleek, unbroken silhouette that relied on the body itself. Markle’s high-neck knit underneath continues this dialogue, suggesting a sophisticated layering that prioritizes form and comfort over overt constraint.
By selecting Cartier—a house whose Art Deco ‘Tank’ watch was famously worn by style subversives from Diana, Princess of Wales to Andy Warhol—and pairing it with these specific Australian designs, Markle’s attire becomes editorial. It connects a narrative of modern, independent femininity to the foundational revolutions in undergarments that made such external expressions of power and ease possible.
Originally reported by WWD