Not only is Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex extremely inspiring because how she challenges norms and traditions, she’s also recognized for being progressive. This obviously includes how her and Prince Harry most recently stepped down as senior member of the royal family, resulting in the breakage of the internet. Aside from being a royal, Meghan is also a huge fashion and style icon, and folks are always clambering to see what she’ll wear next. Even before she was a royal, Meghan always pushed the fashion envelope and nowadays, her style is definitely more polished but you have to admit it’s much more unique compared to the (sometimes) matronly outfits traditionally seen on other royal family members. Since people seem to love dressing like Meghan Markle, I thought I’d give it a try, only at the thrift store.
Keep reading to see how I did thrifting for Meghan Markle inspired clothing!
While thrifting Meghan Markle inspired clothing, I used pictures of some of my favourite outfits she’s worn for inspiration. I went with more of a casual approach since I thought that would be more attainable to find at the thrift store. Plus, I wanted to find pieces that were more wearable. I had a selection of photos saved to reference to see what I could find.
I didn’t find an outfit for every outfit photo I saved, but I did end up putting together four outfits, which I don’t think is half bad since we all know that shopping at a thrift store can be a hit or miss experience sometimes.
Outfit #1:
I loved this outfit of Meghan wearing an oversized blazer with a white button down, and black jeans. This outfit it pretty straight forward, and I love everything about how she styled it, so I tried to do the exact same.
I found a pair of black skinny jeans in my size, which is pretty lucky because finding a great pair of pants while thrifting can prove to be a challenge.
I also found a crisp white button down, however the one I found had a subtle pattern going on. Even though the button down shirt wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, the heart of this whole outfit is the blazer. I scored a blazer with a really similar pattern to one she is wearing in this picture, and it’s a size larger than what I usually go for which gives it the perfect oversized look. The main difference between the blazer I found and the one Meghan’s wearing is the one I have has some subtle leather detailing on it which I really don’t mind because I think it adds a bit of edginess to whole ensemble.
Outfit #2:
In this picture Meghan is serving us ultimate travel outfit goals. I love the casual vibe of this ensemble and even though it’s from before she was a royal, I think it still counts!
I went on the hunt for some looser, ripped jeans but I was out of luck and went with this high-rise pair. I cuffed the jeans I found and paired them with the same button down from the last outfit, and rolled up the sleeves à la MM. I attempted to change up the shirt by tucking it in loosely, and I kept couple buttons undone. The shirt she’s wearing is a more relaxed fit than the one I found, but overall you can’t go wrong with a classic look like this.
Outfit #3:
I love this outfit because although it’s a more professional business look, it’s still extremely chic and wearable!
For this outfit I found a cute black blazer that is more of a cropped style since the one Meghan’s wearing is pretty tailored, unlike the oversized blazer from before. I paired the blazer with matching black trousers and belted it with a smaller square buckle, similar to the one Meghan is wearing. Lastly, I added a plain white t-shirt to complete the look. This is definitely a great outfit for work but it could also be glammed up for a night out Markle-style!
Outfit #4:
Last but not least, this is my favourite outfit because what’s not to love about a Canadian tuxedo?!
I think Meghan pulled off this look so well that I had to try and recreate it.
I started out with a pair of standard blue jeans, that are pretty similar in colour to the pair that Meghan is wearing. To go with it, I stumbled upon a denim button down shirt, which wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be because the thrift store I went to actually had a decent amount to choose from.
I was beyond thrilled to find a very close match to the coat MM is wearing, which in all honestly puts this whole look together!
To complete the look, I wanted to find a large boxy bag like the one in the photo but I had no luck finding one in blue. I ended up settling for this brown one which is still very cute. I finished off the whole ensemble with a pair of black flats that unfortunately didn’t have the cute ankle ties like the ones Meghan is wearing, but these one definitely still work.
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Britain’s royal family is a centre piece on the world’s stage and while it’s a huge privilege to be part of this illustrious family unit, it comes with lots of rules, traditions, and guidelines that must be followed. In past years, these protocols were the lay of the land but in more modern times, ladies of the royal households have been bending these rules. Some monarchists are devoted to these protocols, but does it really matter if Meghan Markle wears black nail polish instead of royal-approved beige?
Keep reading for 8 fashion rules that the royal family must follow
Dresses and skirts should always be an appropriate length
According to Harper’s Bazaar, dresses and skirts worn by royal family members must be an appropriate length — no body-con mini dresses here. The hemlines should always be around knee-length, or close to, but they should never be more than three or four inches above the knee.
The Queen must formally approve your wedding dress
It’s a royal tradition that The Queen must formally approve all royal wedding dresses. Queen Elizabeth II approved Kate Middleton’s wedding dress when she married Prince William in 2011 and the same went for Meghan Markle when she wed Prince Harry in 2018.
Not just anyone can sport a tiara
Tiara’s are reserved for the fanciest of royal occasions and not just anyone can wear them. According to an article by Forbes, a tiara is usually worn for the first time by a bride, as they’re not allowed to be worn by single women and children.
Keep an eye on the queen’s bag if you want to know what she thinks of you
This might sound strange, but The Queen sends secret messages to her staff using, that’s right, her handbag. According to House Beautiful, if The Queen wants to leave dinner, she’ll simply set her bag on top of the table lets her aides know the party is ending shortly and she’s ready to depart. Royal historian Hugo Vickers told PEOPLE, “It would be very worrying if you were talking to the Queen and saw the handbag move from one hand to the other.” This is a signal that The Queen uses to indicate that she’s ready to wrap up her current conversation.
Royal women are expected to wear hats to formal occasions
For nearly every formal occasion, The Queen and other royal family members must wear hats. This isn’t a new rule either, it comes from an old English tradition that says women should keep their hair covered. “Up until the 1950s ladies were very seldom seen without a hat as it was not considered ‘the thing’ for ladies to show their hair in public,” said Diana Mather, a senior tutor for The English Manner etiquette consultancy, to BBC.
A black ensemble must be packed on every trip
This one’s a bit grim. In case a death in the royal family occurs while one member is abroad, a spare black outfit must be packed. That way when the travelling family member returns back to the U.K, they’ll be dressed appropriately. According to Harper’s Bazaar, this rule was put into place after King George VI’s death because The Queen (Princess Elizabeth at the time), didn’t bring black clothes with her and consequently had to wait an appropriate outfit to be delivered.
There’s a reason why prince george always wears shorts
Dressing young boys in shorts is a longstanding tradition among British royalty and aristocracy. British etiquette expert William Hanson in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK that they start wearing pants around 8 years old.
Coats shouldn’t be taken off in public
This one is interesting, but according to Stylecaster, there’s a reason why Kate Middleton doesn’t take her coat off in public, as it’s considered “unladylike.”
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It’s no secret that the royal family has a ripple effect in the fashion world is nothing new, as we all know that Princess Diana inspired countless copycats as women tried to emulate her style back in the day. Fast-forward a few decades, and the Royal Family continues to heighten the profile of designers and generate countless dollars for brands. This is thanks largely to what has been termed the “Kate Effect” and the “Markle Sparkle.” Naturally, the online marketplace makes getting our hands on royal looks easier than ever for those of us without a royal title attached to our names.
Here are 11 times that fashion brands made serious cash thanks to the royal family.
Mackage
Homegrown success story Mackage, became even more of a coveted outerwear brand when Meghan wore a coat by the company during a trip to Northern Ireland. According to Business of Fashion, this resulted in media impressions worth a cool $20 million.
Clarins
It isn’t just fashion brands that reap the benefits of being royal choices. When Kate was snapped this year at Wimbledon holding Clarins’ Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector – an affordable item to the masses – sales of the product jumped by 500 per cent on Amazon.
Mother Denim
Breaking all the royal rules, Meghan rocked a pair of ripped jeans by denim brand Mother to her anticipated first public appearance at The Invictus Games in Toronto with her now-husband Prince Harry back in 2017. The Mother “Looker” ankle fray jeans sold out everywhere almost immediately.
Birks
Meghan is a longtime fan of Montreal-born jewellery brand Birks. She’s worn the brand during countless appearances solo, with Harry, during her engagement announcement, and at a Christmas lunch with the Queen. After being photographed on Markle, traffic to the Birks website increased 400 per cent.
Aden & anais
Prince George became a trendsetter when he was just days old. The world caught a well documented glimpse of the newborn royal wrapped up in a bird-printed swaddle blanket by Brooklyn-based aden & anais as he left the hospital with his royal parents. According to ABC News, immediately after George’s big debut, over 10,000 orders were placed.
Outland Denim
Another go-to denim brand of Meghan’s is do-good company Outland Denim, which is touted as the most humanitarian denim company thanks to the fact that it employs former victims of human trafficking. When Meghan wore the brand’s Harriet black skinny jeans during an Australian tour, they became the most coveted pair of jeans in the world, selling out immediately.
Sentaler
Back in 2016, Kate wore luxury coat brand’s Sentaler Signature Wrap Coat with Ribbed Sleeves in Gull Grey while on a royal tour of Canada. The coat sold out almost immediately, and is known as the “Kate Coat” to this day. Meanwhile, Meghan had become a fan of the brand while living in Toronto, and did her part to drum up sales after she appeared in the Royal Baby Alpaca Wrap in grey.
Reiss
When Kate met the Obamas back in 2011, all eyes were on her perfect-fitting camel-coloured Reiss dress. According to the Telegraph, in the wake of its appearance on Kate, the dress sold out at a rate of one per minute, with the design selling on ebay for over five times its retail value.
Strathberry
Meghan has also played a role in popularizing luxury handbag brand Strathberry, having accessorized with the brands bags on three separate occasions, including on her first royal engagement in November 2017. According to Glamour, sales increased by more than 200 per cent immediately after the first photograph was published.
Line
The chic white Line coat worn by Meghan at her and Prince Harry’s engagement announcement became just as famous as the couple for its 10 minutes of fame. Shortly after the appearance, the coat was such a coveted item that it caused the Canadian company’s website to crash.
Marks & Spencer
Even the simplest of fashion items become the most coveted when worn by the Royal Family. A basic black Marks & Spencer knit sweater worn by Markle during a trip to Brixton in January 2018 sold out twice after being seen and snapped on the then soon-to-be royal.