Meghan Markle on tour in Australia: What the Duchess of Sussex wore Day 1

SURE, Meghan Markle is in Australia to do some Very Good Work with the Invictus Games, but frankly we’re here for the fashion.

THE Duchess of Sussex has spent this afternoon hanging out with Missy Higgins and her new baby daughter at a reception at Sydney’s Admiralty House.

Higgins’ daughter Luna was born in August this year. It’s the singer’s second child with husband Dan Lee.

For some reason everyone wants this shot 👶 #Royalbaby pic.twitter.com/Uyv6ezkoib

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) October 16, 2018

Meghan and Prince Harry are in Australia to do some Good Work with the Invictus Games. Which is all very honourable, but we’re mostly interested in what she is wearing, because we are like seagulls: easily distracted by the shiny pretty things.

So let’s hop right in and rip the threads apart, shall we?

Yesterday afternoon Meghan and Harry got off their Qantas flight to a throng of media. She looked fresh as a daisy which is no wonder, because girlfriend was definitely lushing it up in First Class.

Their post-plane look was beautifully summed up in this tweet:

On the left we have what drinking water, applying a face mask, avoiding the sodium infused foods and meditating on a long haul flight looks like.

On the right is what Mad Monday looks like on a Tuesday.#RoyalTour Pic via: @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/jSVfdmZ4mA

— Jenna Clarke (@jennamclarke) October 14, 2018

Meghan accessorised her outfit with a couple of ring binders. Initially we thought this was to show that she means business. And if anyone points out that five minutes ago she was rehearsing lines for Suits, they will be smited with those ringbinders, which probably have some pretty important royal decrees in them or something.

But then the pregnancy news broke, and we all realised those cleverly placed binders were covering her stomach. Well played!

** BREAKING NEWS **

We just received a press release from Officeworks stating that sales of ringbinders similar to the one carried by Meghan increased by 75 per cent yesterday.

In the release, they genuinely described it as “the latest must have accessory to conceal a baby (or food!) bump”.

Stop the world, we want to get off.

Everybody is (apparently) going to be asking for purple ringbinders this Christmas. Run, don’t walk etc!

For her first official duty in Sydney (popping into Admiralty House — the official Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia, Peter Cosgrove, and Lady Cosgrove, to meet representatives from each of the 18 countries participating in the Invictus Games), Meghan wore the white “Blessed” dress by Australian designer Karen Gee.

The first official duty at Admiralty House in Kirribilli.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wears high heels on squishy grass, which we all know is no mean feat.

And wouldn’t you know it, by 9.20am, just after the first photos of her wearing the dress hit the internet the Karen Gee website crashed.

No nice dresses for you, commoner!

The simple white dress costs $1800. It comes in three colours. Why not buy all three, eh?

The Blessed dress by Karen Gee. It’s described as ‘a timeless classic that will take you from day to night with ease.’ It will also take you from financially stable to bankrupt.

It is nice to see Meghan opt for a lesser-known Aussie designer for such a big fashion moment (ie first pics post pregnancy announcement).

Karen Gee launched her label just five years ago with no formal fashion training, though she is a Harvard business graduate.

The mother-of-five who was raised in Rockhampton acknowledges that not all women are the same shape and aims to offer women more control over the fits of their dresses through individual tailoring.

This is her:

Meghan wisely covered her pristine white dress with a camel trench coat for her encounter with a koala at Taronga Zoo. This is a very smart move, as we all know those creatures can be unpredictable as all hell.

He looks to be innocently snacking on a gum leaf, but he is probably plotting ways to ruin that dress.

Eagle-eyed royal watchers were quick to spot that Meghan Markle wore one of Princess Diana’s much-loved pieces on the first day of her tour Down Under.

The Duchess of Sussex wore the late Princess’s butterfly earrings and matching bracelet.

#Meghan wearing Princess Diana’s gold and diamond butterfly earrings and bracelet on her first day of #RoyalTourAustralia pic.twitter.com/2InKbM8dHW

— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) October 16, 2018

Diana was photographed wearing the jewels during a trip to Canada with Prince Charles in May 1986, just after Harry was born.

The earrings on Meghan today. She has just announced that she is expecting her first child with Prince Harry.

Shoe-wise she went for a beige heel that all our mothers would approve of.

Meghan is wearing the @StuartWeitzman Legend pumps today: https://t.co/EjnyJyQbXM#DuchessofSussex #MeghanMarkle pic.twitter.com/rSMHoO5B3J

— What Meghan Wore (@WhatMeghanWore) October 16, 2018

She even managed to navigate the steps at the Opera House in them. She is a true pro. We’d have taken them off and flung them into the harbour by now.

Damn that is a dapper looking couple.

Having said that, she lived the dream of every girl who has ever been to the Melbourne Cup and switched to flats for the difficult trot down the bitumen.

Flats forever. Picture: Toby Zerna

But our overwhelming takeaway from day one of the royal tour is the urge to scream “HARRY, PUT A HAT ON” whenever we see pics of our favourite redhead swanning about in the Australian sun without some protection on his bonce.

Hope they are heading to Chemist Warehouse to stock up on aloe vera gel.

No seriously mate, no thumbs-up, put a hat on.

After a long day out and about around the harbour, Meghan changed into a dark green shirt dress by NY-based designer Brandon Maxwell for an afternoon reception at Admiralty House.

Maxwell is best known as being a key designer for Lady Gaga.

Interestingly he is not an Australian designer.

Video: Meghan, wearing Brandon Maxwell, and Harry arrive at the Governor-General’s reception. pic.twitter.com/hI74QsBAq6

— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) October 16, 2018

The dress retails for $2555 online and is, of course, now sold out.

Originally published as Meghan Markle on tour in Australia: What the Duchess of Sussex wore Day 1