Earlier this year, we took a deep dive into the enduring allure of green dresses. In recent pop culture history, the most iconic green dress has to be the backless silk gown worn by Keira Knightley in Ewan McGregor’s Oscar-winning drama Atonement. The dress won the film’s costume designer Jacqueline Durran an Oscar, and sparked countless 18-year-olds to purchase something of the like for their 2007 senior prom. In the 13 years since, prom photo reminders or not, we’ve still never forgotten the green dress’s allure. And from what we’ve just seen, neither has Meghan Markle.
In a move that will solidify the shade’s role in our lives for another decade (or more), the former Duchess of Sussex stepped out alongside Prince Harry in London wearing none other than her own take on the green dress. And like all the frocks that came before it, we simply cannot stop looking at it.
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Markle’s emerald green dress is a much different silhouette than the slinky, sensual one Knightley wore in Atonement, but that in no way diminishes its power. Worn for her final Commonwealth Day Service as a senior royal, the dress, courtesy of London-based designer Emilia Wickstead, is both bold and understated; traditional, yet illustrative of Markle’s revered sense of style. With it, she wore a matching green headpiece, nude pumps, and a Gabriela Hearst handbag of the same color.
This isn’t the first time that Meghan Markle has chosen an Emilia Wickstead original. During the couple’s first royal tour to Australia, Markle wore a black button-down dress courtesy of the New Zealand-born designer. Wickstead was also one of the lucky few rumored to be designing Markle’s dress for the Royal Wedding. Of course, we now know that the role went to Clare Waight Keller and Givenchy, but if you ask us, this one is definitely up there on our list of Meghan Markle’s finest.
Prince Harry followed suit, wearing a royal blue suit lined with the exact same shade of green as his wife’s dress. And it isn’t the first time this week that Harry and Meghan have dressed in sync. After touching down in England for the first time since the announcement that they would be stepping down from their royal duties, the couple wore color-coordinated blue outfits to last Thursday night’s Endeavor Fund Awards. A few days later, their matching streak continued with tonal red dressing at the Mountbatten Festival of Music, an annual fundraiser for the Royal Marines Association. For the festival, Prince Harry donned his red military uniform while Markle wore a caped Sofiyaa gown with red Altuzarra heels.
Of all the monochrome looks donned by the royal couple this week, though, we can’t help but send their latest home with the prize. Maybe it’s Harry’s subtlety, Markle’s mini bag, or their unwavering support for each other, but if you ask us, the success of this look is just another example of the power of the green dress.