Here is a list of things Meghan Markle likes: camel coats, beige knitwear, cream trouser suits, khaki pencil skirts and tan court shoes. Clothes and colors that suggest a certain down-to-earth-ness and professionalism about a person. She is also a fan of cookbooks, yoga kits, bird seed, bath salts, non-medicated skincare preparations, dog shampoo and reed diffusers, as was laid out in the trademark documents for American Riviera Orchard–the Duchess’s soon-to-be-launched lifestyle brand that will perhaps rival Highgrove.
As with any new venture that takes place in the celebscape, Markle has decided to embark on a subtle style transformation. Her failsafe, office-appropriate neutrals are being replaced with diaphanous Oscar de La Renta shirt dresses and Goyard handbags. Much of this is down to her friendship with the stylist Jamie Mizrahi, who has been the invisible hand behind Adele and Jennifer Lawrence’s well-reported image overhauls.
For her most recent public outing–which saw Markle host an exhibition of The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection at the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles–she wore a floral-embroidered Carolina Herrera cape, Aquazzura ballet flats and a constellation of Cartier bangles. Her mother and The Mother–ie. Tina Knowles–were also in attendance. This is precisely the kind of wholesome artisan I would like to purchase homemade jams from: plodding to and from the cash register in her cashmere mantle and sensible flats, espousing the benefits of lavender and patchouli.