Meghan wore this Emilia Wickstead dress in Sydney today. photo / AP
Meghan wore this Emilia Wickstead dress in Sydney today. photo / AP
It seems the Duchess of Sussex has spared no cost when it comes to her tour wardrobe Down Under, wearing nearly $32,000 worth of designer outfits in just four days.
And she's already started wearing Kiwi-designed outfits ahead of her visit to New Zealand next Sunday.
The pregnant royal, 37, today wore a black ankle-length dress by Emilia Wickstead, who was born in Auckland but lives in London, at the opening of the Anzac Memorial in Sydney.
Harry and Meghan wre at the opening of the Anzac Memorial in Sydney today. Photo / AP
The dress choice was said to be a nod to New Zealand during the service.
She teamed it with black pumps and a fascinator by Philip Treacy.
Wickstead has been a favourite for Meghan and the royal family - she wore one of her designs at an Anzac Day service in April, before her wedding in May.
But after the ceremony, Wickstead was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying the wedding dress - created by Givenchy's Clare Wright Keller - was "quite loose", and that it was identical to one of her own designs.
The dress was said to be a nod t New Zealand. Photo / AP
Wickstead faced backlash, disabled her Twitter account and went public to deny she ever made such remarks.
All appeared to be forgiven when Meghan wore a Wickstead two-piece at an event in Ireland in July.
Pippa Matthews wore a dress by New Zealand designer Emilia Wickstead to Princess Eugenie's wedding. Photo / AP
Pippa Middleton, sister of Meghan's sister-in-law Catherine, chose a forest green maternity dress by Wickstead for Princess Eugenie's wedding last Friday.
Meghan herself chose a bespoke Givenchy wool coat for the wedding.
At Bondi Beach yesterday, Meghan sported a striped maxi dress by Australian designer and earrings by New Zealand designer Karen Walker.
A spokeswoman for the brand said they were Temptation studs in nine carat gold with pearl. They retail for between $189 and $399.
The 9 carat studs are called Temptation. Photo / Supplied
Meghan is already a fan of Karen Walker, having worn one of her sweaters at her New York Fashion Week show.
And Catherine met Walker in February at an event at Buckingham Palace.
There are likely to be plenty of other Kiwi designers lining up to dress Meghan when she arrives in New Zealand next Sunday.
Meghan wore Karen Walker earrings while on Bondi Beach in Sydney yesterday. hoto / AP
She may take inspiration from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who had a maternity dress made for her by Kiwi designer Juliette Hogan for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace with the Queen in April when she was pregnant with Neve.
She paired it with a korowai which caused a stir around the world.
Ardern had earlier stocked up on maternity clothes during a private appointment at Katrena Drum's 3 Bears Maternity store in west Auckland's Titirangi.
Her purchases included a range of clothing for work and casual wear, including a black skirt and jumpsuit, which was renamed "the Jacinda jumpsuit".
Ardern is known for her support of New Zealand designers, including Ingrid Starnes, Maaike, Harman Grubiša, Herriot and Kate Sylvester.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wore a dress by Juliette Hogan while pregnant with Neve at a dinner at Buckingham Palace. Photo / AP
Ardern with Titirangi maternity stylist Katrena Drum at the 3Bears Maternity Store. Photo / Facebook
Diplomatic dressing
It was reported today that Meghan has worn nearly $32,000 worth of designer outfits in just four days.
Diplomatic dressing - a crucial genre in any royal tourdrobe - was first ticked off the to-do list at the couple's first Down Under engagement on Tuesday.
At Sydney's Admiralty House, where they met representatives from each of the 18 countries participating in the Invictus Games, Meghan wore a white, tiny-bump-accentuating shift dress by Australian designer Karen Gee.
Meghan wore a white dress by Karen Gee and a trench coat by fellow Australian designer Martin Grant. Photo / AP
The $1959 dress called the Blessed was accessorised with butterfly earrings and a blue stone bangle that once belonged to Princess Diana (a baby and Diana references is a combination bound to butter up republicans) and at one point swapped her heels for flats - so relatable.
By 9.20am, just after the first photos of her appeared, the Karen Gee website crashed.
She later covered the dress with a camel trench coat, by fellow Australian designer Martin Grant, for her encounter with a koala at Taronga Zoo.
After a long day out and about around the Sydney harbour, Meghan changed into a $2721 dark green shirt dress by New York-based designer Brandon Maxwell for an afternoon reception at Admiralty House.
Maxwell is best known as being a key designer for Lady Gaga.
She later changed into this olive green shirt dress for an afternoon reception hosted by the Governor-General and Lady Cosgrove. Photo / AP
She chose another Australian brand for the second day of the tour when the couple landed in Dubbo on Wednesday.
Paired with a $221 blazer designed by her friend, tennis ace Serena Williams, Meghan donned $216 black jeans from Outland Denim, an Australian company which provides jobs to survivors of the sex trafficking industry and women at risk of falling into poverty in Cambodia.
The look was paired with a Maison Kitsuné shirt ($312), J.Crew suede ankle boots and diamond sun stud earrings and a necklace by Aussie jewellery designer Natalie Marie.
On Thursday, at a Government House event during the couple's Melbourne pit-stop, Meghan donned a $859 navy dress by Aussie designer Dion Lee and navy Manolo Blahnik BB pumps.
She accessorised with a gold cuff bracelet by British designer Shaun Lane and a Gucci Sylvie leather mini chain bag.
She later changed into a black Club Monaco frock with gold detailing to meet a team of lifeguards on South Melbourne Beach before jumping aboard a tram.
Yesterday, the couple visited Bondi Beach where she donned another Martin Grant design, a full-length striped dress.
Meghan in Martin Grant at South Bondi Beach yesterday. Photo / AP
Today, the couple will also watch and present awards at the opening of the Invictus Games. Sportsbet has opened betting on which designer Meghan will wear.
Australian designers dominate the market, with Camilla and Marc the favourite, followed by Karen Gee, Scanlan Theodore and Zimmermann.
On day two she wore jeans by an Australian designer. Photo / AP
On Thursday, she chose a navy Dion Lee dress. Photo / AP
Pregnancy dressing a tailspin
One can only imagine the tailspin Team Meghan would have been sent into when they heard that their tourdrobe efforts would also need to accommodate the Duchess of Sussex' burgeoning bump.
From as far back as July, there has been speculation about how the Duchess might approach her style strategy for her first major foreign tour.
Reports even emerged of a rare rift between Prince Harry and his new wife over her fashion choices.
"Meghan is being told she needs to stop dressing like a Hollywood star and start dressing like a royal," someone with knowledge of these top-level meetings allegedly told a tabloid.
"Meghan wanted to wear a tuxedo-style suit [by Stella McCartney], but Harry said it wasn't traditional enough."
Whatever Meghan chooses for her New Zealand tour, her aids will be making sure she avoids another diplomatic row like that caused by her sister-in-law Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, in 2012 during her visit to the Solomon Islands.
A mistake with gifts placed in her hotel room meant she accidentally wore a dress designed in the Cook Islands, 3000 miles away from her hosts, forcing local government officials to issue a strongly worded statement.
It's thought Meghan's overall pregnancy fashion style will be different to Kate's.
While she favoured bump-skimming dresses while pregnant with her three children from Séraphine or her favourites, Jenny Packham, L K Bennett and Boden, Meghan could opt for dungarees, slip dresses and jumpsuits from trendy US label Hatch.
For formal occasions, its thought she will go billowy rather than show off her bump; pregnant socialite Alice Naylor-Leyland exemplified this look with her floral La DoubleJ dress at Princess Eugenie's wedding.
It's not thought we will see Meghan in actual maternity wear anytime soon - she will adopt the modern attitude of finding pieces she'd wear anyway that work with her new figure (and have Givenchy on speed dial to create more bump-friendly couture).
In terms of footwear, there will be no frumpy pumps or orthopaedic maternity shoes: one thing she has in common with her sister-in-law is a dedication to high heels.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wore Jenny Packham while pregnant with Prince George. Photo / Getty Images
We will see upwards of 30 looks on the Duchess during the tour but many more will have been considered - for each pretty sundress, there's a wet-weather alternative waiting in the wings.
One mastermind behind the Duchess' tour fashion will have been Toronto-based stylist Jessica Mulroney, one of her best friends, who has flown out to join the royal couple "informally".
Although the pair got to know each other while Meghan was working on Suits, Mulroney was already privy to what it takes to dress for the world stage, having styled Canadian Prime Minister's wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
"It's a fun process, like girlfriends when they get dressed to go out. I do the research and speak to a lot of the designers," she has previously told The Daily Telegraph of their working relationship.
Mulroney's influence has been felt in the steady stream of US and Canadian labels and body-conscious silhouettes that Meghan has been wearing.
It is thought Kate's stylist Natasha Archer has been providing backup assistance in the UK but, with the possibility of measurements changing at short notice as she enters her second trimester, a tailor will be on hand for last-minute adjustments.
Looking after the Duchess's hair is celebrity stylist George Northwood, who did her up-do for her evening wedding reception and is the brains behind her artfully undone buns.
He's in charge of taming her mane for all eventualities - from rainforest visits to yoga on the beach and state dinners.
Kate's hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker, has previously posted a snap to Instagram (hastily deleted) showing her tour essentials, which included 13 brushes, six combs, two hairdryers and a plethora of styling products, including Elnett hairspray and Kiehl's $36 Crème with Silk Groom.
Months of preparations
That the preparations were in full swing three months ahead of departure is no surprise. While careful consideration is always given to outfits for any public appearance, attention to detail is amplified significantly for a foreign tour, with recess by palace aides outlining every photo opportunity and any potential style mishaps.
A letter recently made public from Diana, Princess of Wales' lady-in-waiting, Anne Beckwith-Smith, to David and Elizabeth Emanuel reveals that this no-stone-left-unturned approach is nothing new.
Dated June 6, 1986, Beckwith-Smith requests sketches from the designers for the Princess's November tour to the Gulf region, informing them that "certain special requirements concerning dress need to be observed ... in all cases, modesty is the order of the day".
She describes the climate in great detail, adding that "synthetic fabrics are not advised".
It is now a famous detail of history that when the Queen landed back in the UK following her father's death, she had to remain on her plane while a black mourning outfit was brought to her.
You can be sure that no royal wardrobe mistress has forgotten a just-in-case black choice since.
Meghan's expectant mum status may make things a little trickier, but the bump will also provide an excellent distraction from any minor slip-ups - it's already the tour's hit accessory, after all.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to meet the couple as they get off the plane before a powhiri on the lawns of Government House. Head to Pukeahu National War Memorial Park for wreath-laying ceremony, memorial visit and walkabout. Evening reception hosted by the Governor-General celebrating the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand.
Monday - Wellington and Abel Tasman
Visit to Maranui cafe in Wellington cafe and meet young people from a number of mental health projects. Visit to the Abel Tasman National Park, welcomed by local iwi, and a bush walk to learn about the history of the park, environmental issues, and conservation projects. A beach barbecue with school children and local ambassadors before returning to the capital.
Evening visit to Courtenay Creative to meet a number of young creatives demonstrating their skills in make-up, costume, and virtual reality.
Visit Redvale on the North Shore to dedicate a 20ha area of native bush to The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy. After unveiling the plaque, join children in a gumboot throwing contest.
Join Ardern at Pillars, a charity operating across New Zealand that supports children who have a parent in prison.
In the afternoon, they'll mingle with the public on the Viaduct Harbour before a reception hosted by the Prime Minister at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Wednesday - Rotorua
A visit to Te Papaiouru Marae, for a formal pōwhiri, luncheon, and meet young people. A Rainbow Springs visit to hear about the centre's kiwi breeding programme. Rotorua locals will get a chance to meet the couple at Rotorua Government Gardens before they visit Redwoods Treewalk, where they will do the walk, and meet groups of local mountain bikers.
They'll return to Auckland in the evening, before departing for London the next day.
