When you’re on a four-day tour of Colombia at the invitation of a vice-president, and your every move is captured on camera, it’s smart to leverage the impact of your wardrobe choices.
And we’ve come to expect nothing less from the Duchess of Sussex. Using clothing to communicate is not a new concept—the late Queen pioneered ‘diplomatic dressing,’ paying tribute to her host countries through her choice of designers, colors, and patterns.
Princess Diana continued this tradition during her royal tours in the 1980s and 1990s.
“But this wasn’t an official royal tour!” you might argue. Technically, that’s true. However, in many ways, it resembled one.
With a busy agenda filled with school visits, public appearances, and meetings with local leaders, the ‘tour-drobe’ was just as crucial and influential here as it would be on any official royal visit. Meghan’s dedicated style followers would certainly agree.
Day 1 (See Cover Pic)
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.
Day 2
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.
Day 3
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.
Day 4
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.
