Like it or not, clothes talk. So if you’re on a four-day tour of Colombia at the invitation of a country’s vice-president, and your every move is being photographed, it’s wise to maximise the power of your clothing choices.
And we’ve come to expect nothing less from the Duchess of Sussex.
Communicating through one’s clothing is nothing new – the late Queen spearheaded ‘diplomatic dressing’, paying homage to her host countries through designer, colour and pattern choices.
Princess Diana followed her lead on royal tours in the 1980s and 1990s.
‘But this wasn’t a royal tour!’ I hear you cry. Technically, you’d be right. But in many respects, it was. A jam-packed schedule full of school visits, walkabouts and meetings with local leaders? Check, check and check.
The ‘tour-drobe’ has been just as necessary – and powerful – here as on any official royal visit. Meghan’s devoted style fans certainly agree.
The Duchess of Sussex has been on a ‘tour-drobe’ on her four-day tour of Colombia
The Sussexes packed in a busy schedule on their trip – with Meghan looking very stylish each step of the way. Pictured in a £1,700 design by Ortiz
At one point Meghan wore a shirt designed by her old friend Victoria Beckham while speaking at the Responsible Digital Future forum in Bogota
There are as many Instagram accounts and blogs dedicated to documenting every single item she wears as any other royal and anything she wears tends to sell out.
And, in many ways, Meghan’s Colombia tour-drobe has followed the clothing protocol an official royal tour would dictate.
For their arrival in the capital Bogota on Thursday, tailoring was the order of the day, implanting the idea that this was an important trip and the couple meant business. Meghan’s choice was a sleeveless jacket (£598) and trousers (£448) by New York-based brand Veronica Beard.
Tailoring is a traditional choice for a royal tour arrival outfit, but Meghan simultaneously showed she is under no obligation to comply with such strict codes any more – this was a tailored co-ord as opposed to a suit.
The waistcoat-style top showed off her shoulders and her £3,775 Loro Piana ‘Loom’ bag was bigger than the itsy-bitsy, Polly Pocket-esque clutches usually favoured by royal women on tour. What was in there? A notebook, a laptop? The suggestion is that she is working and, as such, needs to carry more than a lipstick.
The Sussexes had multiple engagements a day requiring different outfits. Later that first day Meghan changed into a patterned jacquard dress (£1,595) by Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz for a visit to the National Centre of the Arts – classic diplomatic dressing at its best.
Meghan Markle showed off her effortlessly chic style as she and Prince Harry visited a school in the Santa Fe area of Bogota on Friday
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan with Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez and her husband Yernei Pinillo in Bogota on August 15
Its cut-out detail below the breast and front split garnered some criticism for being ‘inappropriate’ and might not have been something Meghan would have got away with as an official royal.
This is where her sartorial power lies. She can cherry-pick the best royal style tricks but is no longer bound by the Royal Family’s more restrictive aspects.
There was one more outfit change that day: a Victoria Beckham shirt (£550) and trousers in a co-ordinating mahogany shade by luxury US label La Ligne (£220). The look was finished with shoes from Aquazzura (£620).
Two more traditional tour-drobe tricks were at play – wearing something she’s worn before to avoid the criticism of extravagance (the Beckham shirt) and nodding to her host nation through shoes by a brand founded by a Colombian.
On Friday, day two, she did the same, wearing an ivory green and white skirt by Colombian brand Juan de Dios (£353). A subsequent outfit change saw her wear Chanel’s instantly recognisable two-tone pumps (£910) – again, something she probably wouldn’t have done as a royal, where unspoken rules dictate royal women don’t wear signature pieces from a designer.
It was only post-royalty that Princess Diana, for example, started to carry recognisable bags by the likes of Dior and Gucci.
Meghan met dance students from the Centro Nacional de las Artes Delia Zapata
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the third day of their visit to Columbia, attending a Caribbean drumming school
Meghan balanced this break in royal code by wearing a pair of butterfly earrings that belonged to Diana, who last wore them on a royal tour in Canada in 1986. She also wore Diana’s gold Tank Francaise watch on the tour.
It was diplomatic dressing once again for a visit to the city of Cartagena on Saturday, in the form of a chic wide-brimmed hat by Colombian designer Hannia Char (£100). She first paired the hat with another outfit by Johanna Ortiz — this time a co-ordinating black top (£804) and skirt (£1,272) — then with a white skirt (Posse, £204), white top (Argent, £120), and sandals (by US designer Emme Parsons, £370) to visit a village.
The royal trick of wearing one colour to stand out, alongside the less royal, casual twist of the sandals (unspoken protocol dictates that royal women don’t tend to wear open-toe shoes) suggests Meghan is her own woman now.
And that royal favourite of throwing in a High Street item? For a women’s empowerment forum on Sunday, this came in the form of a sleeveless shirt from Mango that cost just £26.
A sequined skirt by Colombian designer Silvia Tcherassi (£1,634) was the look’s focal point, alongside earrings that were a gift from the Colombian vice-president and handmade by artisans.
To visit a music festival later the same day, Colombian fashion took centre stage again in the form of a now sold out green printed dress (£689) by Andres Otalora. In Colombia, Meghan utilised what she had learned in her stint as a royal, cleverly adopting the traditional codes of the royal ‘tourdrobe’ that worked for her.
This approach is symptomatic of the way she and Harry are living their lives as quasi-royals.
But no one can deny that, while Meghan might not be a working royal any more, she has certainly got the astutely thought-out wardrobe of one.
Cost of Meghan Markle’s 2024 Colombia wardrobe
Thursday, August 15
Meghan Markle proved her fashion prowess once again today as she stepped out in Colombia alongside Prince Harry to begin their four-day tour of the South American nation
- Collared vest from New York-based brand Veronica Beard – £596
- Navy angle-grazing trousers from Veronica Beard – £349.33
- Cream handbag from Italian company Loro Piana – £3,653
- Lorraine Schwartz ‘Against Evil Eye’ bracelet – £15,011.84
- Pippa Small Kyanite Classic Stud Earrings – £495
- Manolo Blahnik BB Pointy Toe Pump in Black Suede – £595
OUTFIT TOTAL: £20,700.17
Meghan changed into a colourful printed jumpsuit for her second look of her Colombia Tour
- Burgundy Navajo Weaver Metallic Tweed Maxi Dress by Johanna Ortiz – £1,659
- Cartier Justr Un Clou Necklace in Yellow Gold with Diamonds – £11,800
- Jimmy Choo Etana Leather Strappy Mule Sandals in tan – £795
- Lanvin Arpege Sleeper Earrings in gold – £255
OUTFIT TOTAL: £14,509
Meghan attends the ‘Responsible Digital Future’ forum at EAN University in Bogota, Colombia
- Victoria Beckham chocolate brown shirt – £597
- Colby pull-on trousers in ‘spice’ La Ligne NYC – £231
- ‘Divine 85’ Cognac Brown Suede from Aquazzura – £617
- Birks Muse cirtrine and diamond drop earrings – £1,964
OUTFIT TOTAL: £3,409
THURSDAY TOTAL: £38,618
Friday, August 16
Meghan looked sophisticated in black high-waisted cigarettes pants, which paired with a white button-up business shirt with one button at the top left undone, tucked in
- Loro Piana Jamilla blazer in camel- £2,893
- Chanel sling-back ballet flats – £849
- Mango ‘Paula’ sleeveless cotton shirt in white – £35
- Cesta collective crossbody bag in Panna – £588
- Butterfly-shaped gold earrings owned by Princess Diana – price unknown
OUTFIT TOTAL: £4,365
Harry and Meghan each changed clothes between their morning and afternoon engagements
- Juan De Dios Amaime silk martello midi skirt in ivory green chintz – £347
- Sarah Hendler spear dangle stud earrings in emerald and sapphires – £1,736
OUTFIT TOTAL: £2,083
Prince Harry and Meghan joined Vice President Francia Márquez for a luncheon on the second day of their trip
- Oscar De La Renta gown in Cerulean blue – likely bespoke and thought to be at least £4,000
- Aquazurra heels
- Logan Hollowell baby reverse warer drop diamond tennis necklace – £9,786
OUTFIT TOTAL – £13,786
FRIDAY TOTAL – £20,234
Saturday, August 17
Meghan Markle was a marvel in monochrome as she arrived in Cartagena with Prince Harry on the third day of their tour of Colombia
- Deep Ocean silk crop top with the Hello Sailor silk maxi skirt by Johanna Ortiz – £1,700
- Hannia Char The Boater Hat – £70
- Ray-Ban gold aviator classic sunglasses – £155
- Ariel Gordon signet studs – £212
- Aquazzura divine sandal 85 in brown – £620
OUTFIT TOTAL: £2,757
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry looked loved up as they held hands while visiting traditional Afro-Caribbean village, San Basilio de Palenque on Saturday
- Chic white linen skirt from Posse, the Emma design – £200
- White crew neck tank top from Argent – £120
- Emme Parsons Cecilia Sandals in black calfskin – £347
- Cartier Gold Tank Francaise Watch worn by Princess Diana – £15,500
- Cartier touch, the love yellow gold bracelet – £5,800
- Ariel Gordon imperial disc pendant necklace engraved with Archie and Lili’s names – £1,425
- Maria E Esquivia earrings – price unknown
OUTFIT TOTAL – £23,392
Meghan and Harry tried salsa dancing during a visit to the Unidad Recreativa El Vallado in Cali
- Miu Miu Artiste sunglasses in black and gold (seen on her lap) – £300
- El Carmen canvas hand emboidered mini skirt in Ecru – £613
- Stuart Weitzman Benni sandals in tan leather – £275
OUTFIT TOTAL – £1,188
SATURDAY TOTAL – £27,337
Sunday, August 18
Meghan Markle (pictured) looked radiant in a patterned pencil skirt embellished with sequins, which she paired with a sharp white shirt and pink, suede pumps
- Patterned midi skirt embellished with sequins by Miami-based designer Silvia Tcherassi – £1,634
- Mango shirt (repeat from earlier in the trip)
- Manolo Blahnik BB 105 Pumps in Magenta Suede – £595
- Gold fan earrings – gifted from Vice President Francia Márquez (price unknown)
OUTFIT TOTAL: £2,229
Meghan, Harry, Colombia Vice President Francia Marquez and her husband Yerney Pinillo are all smiles at the Petronio Music Festival
- Andres Otalora joya colonial tiered cotton poplin maxi dress in green – £890
- Aquazzura talk to me 105 black suede sandals – £656
OUTFIT TOTAL – £1,546
SUNDAY TOTAL – £3,775
TOTAL FOR TOUR: £89,964
