Meghan Markle Steals Royal Tour's Show With Her Glamorous Maternity Fashion Style

Meghan and Harry visit Courtnay Creative for an event celebrating the city's thriving arts scene in Wellington, New Zealand         Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Pregnant and radiant, with her winning smile, intelligence and down-to-earth warmth, Meghan Markle has been unquestionably the star of the first official extended overseas royal trip she and Prince Harry are taking for 16 days to cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

According to the local press, she has taken the region by storm and the talk is about 'Meghan Mania,"  her popularity among the public and in particular the young women and children with whom they come in contact, her influence on the fashion industry that follows her every sartorial choice and the almost immediate effect her taste has on the fashion houses she chooses to wear.

Meghan visits Courtnay Creative for an event celebrating the city's thriving arts scene in Wellington. Considered one of the best looks of the tour, this white tuxedo dress with adjustable buttons by New Zealand-based designer Maggie Marilyn was custom-made for Meghan. The blue shoes are Manolo Blahnik    Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Glowing naturally as pregnant women do during their second trimester, Meghan has looked stunning in each of the many outfits she brought for the trip,  from a mini tuxedo white dress she chose for a cultural event that has been praised to the moon by fashionistas, to the spectacular Oscar de la Renta princess gown she wore for the Australian Geographical Society Awards and all the formal and informal stylish looks in between, including beach wear, city chic, sporty gear, ballgowns and environmentally-responsible  jeans.

"Australian designers get a taste of the 'Meghan Effect' after the Duchess of Sussex championed a spate of local names during the royal tour," WWD wrote in an article about "Meghan Mania" sweeping Australia, and the fact that she included a number of local labels in her tour wardrobe, "alongside international brands as Brandon Maxwell, Jason Wu, Roksanda Ilincic, Stuart Weitzman, Manolo Blahnik, Gucci and Birks."

Dressing down in waterproof jackets for a visit to Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand's South Island to visit conservation initiatives managed by the Department of Conservation. With the Seasalt jacket Meghan wore Outland Denim ‘Harriet’ jeans, Stella McCartney tennis shoes and a Loro Piana scarf      Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

For a visit to the Maranui Surf Life Saving Club to discuss the country’s mental health initiatives, Meghan chose a Club Monaco Ellayne Trench coat in seaweed green, black Outland jeans, a Jac and Jack black turtleneck and  lace-up Stuart Weitzman boots     Photo: Ian Vogler-Pool/Getty Images

Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

After the media attention fixed on every outfit, many of brands have seen their websites crashed from a tsunami of orders. Among the affected are Sydney designer Karen Gee, who made the ivory crepe sheath dress Meghan wore for their first engagement at Admiralty House.  According to WWD, in 24 hours the brand sold  more than 250 dresses, that cost 1,290 Australian dollars, or $918 each, with hundreds more consigned to a waiting list.

It must be noted that Meghan has made a point of wearing brands with a sustainable focus such as her skinny black jeans from Queensland-based, B Corp. which are made by Cambodian women rescued from human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Her flats by San Francisco brand Rothy’s are made from recycled plastic bottles and her white sneakers by the French ethical brand Veja.

The  casual chic ASOS maternity black midi dress and plaid trench by Karen Walker Meghan wore for their arrival to the Wellington New Zealand, airport has been another favorite among fashionistas. She completed the look with Sarah Flint pumps. She kept the outfit during the first events of the day - a welcome ceremony and a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior    Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

For the closing of the Invictus Games, where she gave a speech, Meghan wore a bespoke Antonio Berardi dress, a Cuyana mini chain saddle bag and Aquazzura Casablanca peach suede pumps    Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Meghan presented gold medals to Team USA at the Wheelchair Basketball final of the Invictus Games in Sydney, wearing a poppy clasped to her jacket by Australian luxury label Scanlan Theodore, Outland Denim black trousers and matching pumps    Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

"Australians have always loved Prince Harry," writes The Sun. "And now they wanted to love Meghan, too. She was not going to let them down despite the fatigue that comes with jet lag and her pregnancy."

According to the paper, she wanted to give them her best and be the best even if it meant getting up at 4.30 am to do yoga to “refresh her mind.”

"No one was going to stop this strong American woman who wowed crowds with her panache. All she wanted in return was to be able to hold Harry’s hand for reassurance, which she did. So much so the media named it 'the tour of PDAs (public displays of affection).'"

In a blue button-down Veronica Beard dress, teamed with suede blue shoes, for the unveiling of The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy at Tupou College in Nuku'alofa, Tonga      Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

Meghan stole the show with this bird-embellished Oscar de la Renta gown for the Australian Geographic Society Awards in Sydney. The look is considered the best of the tour by fashion experts.    Photo: Paul Edwards-Pool/Getty Images

Meghan wore a Martin Grant stripey button-down shirt dress to an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts in Nuku'alofa, Tonga     Photo: Dominic Lipinski-Pool/Getty Images

After a quick change on the plane, the Sussexes touched down in Fua'amotu and Meghan made a bold statement with this red Self Portrait dress. She kept her Manolos on and teamed the look with a Dior clutch bag       Photos: Karwai Tang/WireImage

A formal and impeccably elegant look for a private audience with King Tupou VI and Queen NanasipauÕu at the Consular House in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Meghan wore a white cap-sleeved custom gown by Theia with black heels and a Givenchy clutch     Photo: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Meghan visits the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, and for a morning tea she chose a colorful pink floral drap-dress with pom-pom details by Figue, paired with her trusted black Castaner espadrilles      Photo: Phil Noble-Pool/Getty Images

During a meeting with President Jioji Konrote on the first day of their tour to Fiji, the Duchess wore  a white Zimmerman dress with long sleeves, accessorized with a matching fascinator, black clutch by Kayu and bow detailed shoes by Tabitha Simmons        Photo: Andrew Parsons-Pool/Getty Images

Another favorite: Meghan wore the blue "bump hugging" cape gown that accentuated her growing baby bump by the Fijian brand Safivva to the state dinner hosted by the president of the South Pacific nation Jioji Konrote in Suva, Fiji      Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Relaxed and refreshed in this breezy, see-through (similar to a famous one Princess Diana wore in 1980) linen frock by Reformation that included a revealing thigh-high slit, Megan walked with Harry along a jetty during a trip to Fraser Island. She paired it with gladiator sandals by Sarah Flint and sunglasses by Karen Walker     Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

For the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge on Cockatoo Island, Meghan wore black skinny jeans, a button-down shirt with the games logo and a white Altuzarra blazer with shades and her black Tabitha Simmons heels    Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

Meghan attends the official opening of the extension of the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney, dressed in this tea-length black button-down dress by Emilia Wickstead, accessorized with a black fascinator, and a Kayu clutch    Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

For a  walk to Bondi Beach in Sydney, she wore another breezy olive-striped dress by Martin Grant with her black espadrilles Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

During a visit to Macarthur Girls High School in Sydney on the fourth day of their visit to Australia, Meghan wore this Roksanda's sleeveless navy dress with a contrasting hem, neutral pumps and a gold bracelet    Photo: Phil Noble/PA Images via Getty Images

To visit South Melbourne Beach, Meghan kept the trench coat she had worn earlier in the day over a black dress by Club Monaco and traded her heels for flats by Rothy     Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Meghan opted for this folded sail-style navy dress with a cascading flounce by Australia designer Dion Lee, with navy pumps, to attend a reception hosted by the Governor of Victoria  at Government House     Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

This was the first casual look of the tour chosen by Meghan for her arrival at Dubbo Airport: black pants, a crisp white untucked button-down and an oversized blazer designed by her friend, tennis star Serena Williams. She accessorized with a pair of black ankle booties             Photo: Samir Hussein / WireImage

In a white, crew-neck sheath dress by Karen Gee, paired with a classic trench coat and matching heels to meet members of the public outside the Sydney Opera House     Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

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WSJ Readers On Their Most Regrettable Fashion Buys

Photo: F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anita Salerno

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Oct. 29, 2018 3:16 p.m. ET

Recently, we offered readers a chance to win this custom-embroidered and patch-adorned vintage Levi’s jacket. All they had to do was tell us, in 100 words or less, about their most regrettable fashion purchase. We received hundreds of entries confessing all manner of fashion mishaps. Some common themes: too-small shoes that refused to stretch, hopelessly uncomfortable “parachute pants,” clothing that proved droopy at inopportune moments—and the particular misery involved in wearing the unflattering color orange. Here is the winning entry, a story that stood out for its ability to combine pathos with the word “go-go,” plus the top runners-up and honorable mentions.

The Winning Entry

“It was the 1960s and my pathetic life was not worth living without my own white go-go boots. As a fashion choice, they were as practical and attractive as the miniskirts they went with. I had to have them. I spent my babysitting money on the cheapest pair available. Never mind that the soles were made of cardboard and that we lived in Oregon. Where it rains. The boots lasted three days. Then the soles deteriorated and mold set in. I wore them until they smelled so bad my mother made me throw them out. I still miss them.”

—Meryl Alcabes, Seattle, Wash.

Runners-Up

“I purchased a wide-brimmed hat, such as the one Audrey Hepburn wore in a scene from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” I thought it completed my resemblance to the star. However, I am only 5’ tall and the hat was overbearing. As I walked into my office, my assistant said I looked like a mushroom.”

—Beatrice Gross, New York, N.Y.

“Crocs. I buy them. I wear them. I get shamed. I donate them. I miss them. I buy again. REPEAT.”

—Lana Kaye, Framingham, Mass.

“I was a third-grade teacher and, in the 1980s, I purchased a green cotton shirtwaist dress. When I wore it to school, I noticed that many staff members and students were saluting me when they passed by me. Later in the day, they said that they thought I was wearing a Girl Scout uniform. I never wore it again.”

—Marjorie Hauck, Amityville, N.Y.

Honorable Mentions

“I once bought a pith helmet to wear in the hot sun for a summer of baseball games. I became ‘that guy’ as no one was wearing anything remotely like it. and people wanted to hear my British accent.”

—Paul McGillivray, Rochester Hills, Mich.

“In high school, I wore fishnet tights in nearly every color of the rainbow. It gets better—I wore tube socks over the fishnets with stripes the same color as the tights. On really special days, I put a fake flower in my red hair that matched the tights and stripes.”

—Emily Schall, Boston, Mass.

“A pair of black-and-white jeans. One leg was black and the other was white and I looked like an absolute idiot with two different colored legs running around in high school.”

—Matthew Natahusada, Long Beach, Calif.

“Working with a group of lawyers over a few weeks in the ‘80s, I noted that they all wore suspenders. Neat, I thought, but I was severely ridiculed for wearing both belt and suspenders. Needless to say, this engineer went back to just the belt.”

—Robert Ballard, Jr., Chester, N.J.

“1976. Not one but two leisure suits. One with actual rope for piping and the other with fake leather piping. What was I thinking? Oh wait, I was 18. I wasn’t! Leisure suits were ugly then and would still be ugly today. Guess that’s why I wear a real shirt and tie every day. Trying to make up for the 1970s.”

—Kent Jones, Madisonville, Ky.

“I still cringe when I think about the year of middle school when I wore bright orange bowling shoes every day, but I miss my blissful ignorance of style. Now I spend too much time analyzing what an item of clothing says about me instead of how it makes me feel.”

—Cal Gilmartin, Boston, Mass.

“Asking my wife Melanie E. Royce, M.D., Ph. D.—an always impeccably attired, beautiful lady—what her biggest-ever fashion mistake was. I quickly got a one word answer: ‘You.’ She refused to say why.”

—Stanton Royce, Albuquerque, N.M.

“Thirty years ago in San Antonio, I purchased the ‘last’ pair of Lucchese Anteater boots for $900. They were one size too small and torturous to wear. I could not get them enlarged for any amount of patience. I wouldn’t have bought them if the guy hadn’t told me they were the last pair I would ever find since the anteater had been put on the endangered list.”

—Matt Ahangi, Menlo Park, Calif.

“Anything and everything black, I look like I should be holding calla lilies in a coffin.”

—Marsha Holden, Hudson, N.C.

“In the 90s, I bought a belt from G-Star. Its belt buckle was a replica of an airline-seat buckle. My friends fell down laughing when they saw it. Bad choice.”

—James Burns, New York, N.Y.

“Calvin Klein parachute material, drawstring, three-quarter-length cargo pants. I thought they would be light and comfortable for relaxing weekend activities while providing lots of pockets to carry essentials. I ended-up carrying so much in the handy pockets, the pants always dropped no matter how tight I tied the drawstring. When I hit the hiking trails I was a frumpy and lumpy, instead of a chic nature navigator.”

—Tracy Miceli, Mahwah, N.J.

“A red Valentino dress with feathers, 40 years ago. I felt like a rooster.”

—Marlene Kohn, Aventura, Fla.

“Blaze orange fall Ralph Lauren jacket...I looked like I was moonlighting for the Illinois Tollway Authority.”

—Carl A. Steen, North Barrington, Ill.

“In the late ’80s, I spent a week’s pay on a glorious, white, full-length sweater coat. It had monster shoulder pads and a fierce hand-painted lion that prowled from the top of the shoulder to the hem. I was a wimp and just could not wear it. I gave it to a friend and regretted it for years.”

—Madeline Hyman, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

“One time I bought a completely basic T-shirt with black and white stripes that every person owns. I immediately regretted it because I love being different and having my own style. Buying that shirt just made me feel like I was as bland as everyone else.”

—Samantha Harkness, North Scituate, R.I.

“Cowboy boots with a speedo. Drop the mic.”

—Gregory A. Denton, Glendale, Calif.

“A prom dress that had a hoop underneath. It was so hard to sit down or go to the bathroom in it.”

—MaryBeth Wehbe, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

“I grew up in a hardscrabble New England mill town in the ’60s and ’70s. Despite that fact, I somehow saw myself as a fashionista without knowing what that heck that meant. As a grade-school boy, I wanted white banana bell bottoms. Way ahead of my time. Only the girls’ department sold them. My mom nevertheless enthusiastically embraced my purchase. Those pants were horrific, particularly when matched with a green, faux-Roman medallion.”

—Steve Hirschfeld, San Francisco, Calif.

“A pair of red leather pants purchased at a shop on Rodeo Drive in the ’80s. Regrettable for who I was with when I bought them: the boss’s wife (a conservative religious woman). I felt she always looked askance at me at office events for the next 20 years. It made the joy of an exciting splurge feel like something I should hide. Haven’t worn the pants in years, but I still have them tucked in my closet.”

—Jo-Ellen Smith, Bellevue, Wash.

“A strapless, flaming red, lettuce-edged Stephen Burrows evening gown in the late-1970s. I didn’t regret the dress itself, but the way i bought it. My friend and I, starving junior Capitol Hill staffers, were invited to two White House Christmas receptions three nights apart, so we shared the cost of the dress, hoping to amortize the expense over the next five years. We were knockouts! But when my friend (second in the rotation) had it dry-cleaned for a spot of Champagne—ignoring the ‘Do Not Dry Clean’ tag. It came back to us at least two sizes too small. Neither of us could ever wear it again.”

—Candice Shy Hooper, Boca Grande, Fla.

“In my early 20s, I bought (and wore and wore) a rabbit-fur jacket that—with its generous hood and dangling fur pompons—made me feel like a retro-glam, mid-aughts Sonja Henie. The problem was that it was slowly shedding to death, and every time I slid off, say, some dark car upholstery, I left a ghostly silhouette in rabbit fur. Eventually I had to give up the coat, by this point named “Thumper,” when I began leaving Pigpen-style motes of rabbit hair wherever I went. Not long thereafter, I became a vegetarian.”

—Phoebe Kosman, Cambridge, Mass.

“A pair of casual pants with a Velcro fly opening.The first time I went to the men’s room, they opened with a ripping noise. Still have them, but only wear them around the house.”

—George Scheidker, St. Augustine, Fla.

“Without question, it was wearing a polo shirt inside another polo shirt in the mid-80s at college. The look was to match the color of the outside shirt’s logo with the inside shirt. What resulted was a cluster of too many collars fighting with too many colors!”

—Gregory Stewart, Carmel, Ind.

“These ridiculous, sequined, leopard-print, high-top Converse sneakers, a whole size bigger than what I normally wore, when I was a senior in high school. I thought they were ’so cool’ and that I would wear them all the time. I wore them once for an event and it looked like I had bedazzled clown feet. I never wore them again.”

—Melissa Barba, San Francisco, Calif.

“Well, I’m an Episcopal priest, and, as you may know, we Episcopalians like liturgical tradition and all of the fine fabrics that are used to construct the various ‘outfits.’ The cassock and surplice are the basic ‘ecclesiastically hip’ combo that is worn for fundamental priestly functions. When I was in Rome several years ago, I went into one of the hottest clergy-clothing stores to look around, and spotted a biretta! A biretta is a stiff, four-cornered hat, topped with a big, fluffy tassel, that can be worn with a cassock and surplice! Mistake! I looked like an eraser!”

—Father Nick Mezacapa, Rochester, Minn.

“I bought an evening gown from a secondhand couture website. It looked so interesting and elegant, but turned out to be complicated and confusing with cutout sides and fabric twisted in the middle. It was like solving a Rubik’s Cube and I could never figure out how to wear it. It’s in the box of ’possible Halloween costumes’ in my attic.”

—Jennifer Sanfilippo, Rochester, N.Y.

“I bought a very conservative navy blazer from Brooks Brothers and wore it to the office with khaki pants and a white collared shirt. Everyone asked me what activities I had planned for the cruise! Yes, I looked like a cruise director on ‘The Love Boat.’ ”

—Linda Salzman, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

“A pair of nearly knee-high, lace-up Frye granny boots. I was 8 or 9, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ was the rage and Laura Ingalls Wilder did not have better prairie boots. Neither did Nellie Oleson. I tantrumed and cried to get this last pair, the Holy Grail of boots, savored them in the box, smelled their leather. But the shoes that I claimed would fit like a glove were both left feet.”

—Yael Lieberman, New York, N.Y.

“More of a regrettable fashion decision than a regrettable purchase, but here goes: In 1978, on the first day of seventh grade at a new school, I figured that wearing a pair of light blue ski pants just made sense. Mirrored sunglasses, a black turtleneck (tucked under the bib and suspenders, of course), and a pair of Pumas completed the look. I still remember getting a ‘have a good day at school’ kiss from my mom and the swish-swish-swish sound of the nylon as I walked to the bus. It quickly went downhill from there.”

—Jonas Lee, New York, N.Y.

“A bright red, pleather, fake Prada purse from a street vendor in Chinatown on my eighth-grade school field trip to New York. The label was slightly crooked, but I remember walking down the sidewalk that afternoon with it slung casually on my shoulder, thinking strangers might mistake me for a model. I had braces and was likely wearing tennis shoes and jeans.”

—Callie Clemons, New York, N.Y.

“I custom-ordered a black tulle tutu skirt from Etsy . I was very excited but I looked like an oversize broom. I wore it twice for Halloween.”

—Sophie Shuklin, Puyallup, Wash.

“It was actually an outfit I sewed in high school. I made velvet rust-colored knickers with a matching vest and hat. The vest was lined with floral fabric. I must say I was quite proud of my sewing ability. I thought I looked mighty spiffy (this was in the ’70s) until I wore it to school. I earned the nickname Captain Smiff and the students even made up a song to go with my new nickname.”

—Heidi August, Lynnfield, Mass.

“I interviewed for a senior executive position on an (all-male) management team. They flew me to an eastern resort to meet the entire team and determine ‘fit.’ The event was characterized as a dinner, but the invitation said something like ‘Gentlemen, wear jackets.’ Thinking they meant dinner jackets, I purchased a 3-piece, $2,000 St. John’s outfit —professional yet suitable for a formal dinner. When I showed up, dinner was a casual clambake-style roast on a very cold beach (the men wore winter jackets). Needless to say I was way overdressed.”

—Barbara Curry, Chesterfield, Mo.

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