The duchess in red is back. Meghan Markle attended a gala held to raise funds for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles sporting an alternative version of a dress carved into our memories of her: The Carolina Herrera creation previously worn for the Salute to Freedom event in New York on November 10, 2021.
That look is hard to forget for several reasons. The first is that with that outfit as red as the carpet the Duchess of Sussex walked as she held hands with Prince Harry, standing out in color and style. However, the dress was designed differently than how we saw it at the Los Angeles charity event in 2024.
What was so striking the previous time was the train that restored royalty to the royal who just escaped from the grip of Buckingham Palace. In fact, as we now clearly realize, the outfit consisted of a column-line gown with a detachable skirt that lent sumptuousness to the work of Wes Gordon, the fashion house’s creative director.
When Meghan and Harry made their appearance at the evening honoring veterans in 2021, there was probably still some confusion about their status. It was one of the first dates the two attended after their “divorce” from the royal family. In a handful of years, Markle had gone from showbiz red carpets to the institutional ones associated with her role as working royal.
In the Carolina Herrera gown, these two natures seemed to coexist: the princely side, visible in the volumes and the pleasure of having a small train, and the celebrity side, linked to the drama of the slit and plunging neckline. Certain freedoms, which the Suits actress enjoyed before she met Harry, would not have been welcomed by palace courtiers.
Three years later, Meghan Markle is less uncertain of her position. She has reshaped her role within the couple, regaining independence to the extent that she showed up alone at the gala without the other half of the Archewell Foundation, and she has reshaped that old outfit by removing the cumbersome extra fabric.
