Meghan Markle made headlines over the weekend during Paris Fashion Week, attending Pierpaolo Piccioli’s inaugural Balenciaga show. Her first ensemble—a striking all-white outfit featuring an oversized button-down shirt and wide-legged trousers, complemented by a matching cape—embodied a refined interpretation of the ‘stealth wealth’ aesthetic associated with her new home in Montecito. For the after-party, she dazzled in a streamlined black dress complete with a cape, also crafted by Balenciaga, a timeless choice for the Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan’s affinity for a little black dress (LBD) can be traced back to her time in the spotlight as an actress, where she frequently mesmerized on the red carpet in striking black minidresses. Remarkably, there was the velvet peplum dress she donned for an awards event in 2011, or the glamorous sequined off-shoulder design she chose at a Suits event in 2012.
Throughout her tenure as a royal, the Duchess often relied on elegant black dresses. At the Fashion Awards in 2018, Meghan—expecting Archie at the time—wore a custom one-shoulder velvet gown designed by Givenchy, her wedding dress designer. During the The Lion King premiere in 2019, she turned heads in a sheer-panel, fit-and-flare creation by Jason Wu.
Scroll down to explore some of Meghan’s most iconic LBD moments to date.
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Photo: Getty Images
2011
Stunning in a black velvet peplum dress at an awards dinner in Los Angeles.
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Photo: Getty Images
2012
Donning an off-shoulder sequin gown for a Suits event in New York.
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Photo: Getty Images
2013
At the London premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, wearing a black embellished minidress by Alexander McQueen.
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Photo: Getty Images
2013
In a strapless ruched dress with bow details at the London Global Gift Gala.
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Photo: Getty Images
2018
Stunning in Black Halo’s Jackie O dress while attending a women’s empowerment event during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
