5 Times Meghan Markle Should've Landed On The Worst-Dressed List

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is one of the most fashionable members of the royal family, barring her nemesis, Kate Middleton, of course. The former actor knows how to dress for the red carpet, and she's maintained an interest in fashion stemming back to her time in Hollywood and even curated a now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, that was rich with luxurious style and beauty tips. However, her role as Duchess comes with certain standards and expectations that are worlds away from her former life — and sometimes she struggles to meet them.

Indeed, Markle's sometimes risque style was a far cry from the refined wardrobe her devotees associate her with today. The Los Angeles native has a diverse style portfolio that she's developed from her years of experience working on set. "I think the most important thing you can do is tailoring," she told Yahoo Style (via Hello!). "No matter what you have in your closet, you think it's not going to make a big impact but if it fits you to a T, you look a million times better and I learned that working on Suits." That said, the Duchess failed to take her own advice on several red-carpet occasions. Fashion critics have called her out one too many times since she stepped into the spotlight. She's been accused of sporting ill-fitted ensembles, ranging from shapeless dresses to unflattering designs, but there are several outfits that were particularly grievous, even for her fans.

"Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven't gotten the attention that they should be getting,' Markle told The New York Times. 'That's one of the most powerful things that I'm able to do, and that's simply wearing, like, an earring."

In 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Salute to Freedom Gala at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York. The Carolina Herrera silk dress that Meghan Markle selected for the gala would become one of her most controversial looks to date. The scarlet red dress had the potential to be ground-breaking, with the bold color and plunging neckline, but the poor tailoring resulted in an unflattering, tent-like fit. This is one of the most obvious examples of how Markle failed to take her own advice on prioritizing tailoring.

That said, Markle later redeemed herself by giving this red-hot dress a body-hugging twist at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Gala in 2024. She clearly wasn't immune to the online hate, as she completely revamped the dress by removing the billowing train and excess fabric, essentially slimming it down into a column dress. The Duchess learned from her previous styling mishap, proving herself to be a role model in sustainability along the way.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex embarked on a 16-day tour in the fall of 2018, where they made a stop in Sydney, Australia to attend the Australian Geographic Society Awards. Meghan Markle arrived at the award ceremony in a monochrome dress that featured an eye-catching ombré design. She outdid herself with this Oscar de la Renta item, which she paired with black slingback pumps and silky Hollywood waves. However, the bird silhouettes were a superfluous reference to ornithology and the geographic theme of the evening. If Markle's goal was to outshine the crowd, she certainly succeeded, but she was monumentally overdressed for the occasion.

She sorely missed the mark with this one, bypassing the semi-formal attire and jumping straight into black tie. A quick Google search of past ceremonies would have saved her from sticking out like a sore thumb and violating the dress code. The gown itself was runway-worthy, but it was better suited to the Met Gala than this prestigious academic ceremony.

Meghan Markle portrayed the character Rachel Zane on "Suits" in the 2010s. Two years before she quit the show — and a year before she met Prince Harry — she attended an event in New York City hosted by NBC Universal Cable Entertainment. At this stage in her career, she had already established herself as a solid actor and was one year into her new passion project, The Tig. She interviewed an array of stylish and ambitious women for her blog, including Elizabeth Hurley, Priyanka Chopra, and Ivanka Trump.

However, the former actor's foray into fashion involved some trial and error. Her eye for style fell short when she pulled up to the network event wearing a cropped bandeau top with black trousers and matching boots. She nailed the makeup, as per usual, but it wasn't enough to counterbalance the disproportionate crop top.

 The gauzy bandeau blouse emphasized her short torso and looked imbalanced against the never-ending legs of her trousers. Mid-rise bottoms would have evened out the proportions, but swapping her blouse would have worked just as well. While this is one of her least offensive ensembles of the bunch, we're not quite sure if that's an accomplishment worth bragging about.

Meghan Markle donned an indigo-purple midi dress from the Canadian brand Aritzia while attending the opening ceremony for the One Young World Summit in October 2019. The color choice was striking and captured your attention, but it was an odd decision to pair the dress with navy suede pumps. Additionally, the loose fit did nothing for her figure. Instead, some intentional accessorizing would have shifted the focus away from the ill-defined waistline. For instance, she could have accessorized with a necklace and a belt to elevate the 'fit and complement her curves. 

What's more, it's likely that the duchess acquired a taste for the affordable luxury label from her time shooting "Suits" in Toronto. Thus, she can't be faulted for supporting small businesses and more affordable brands. "Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven't gotten the attention that they should be getting,' Markle recently told The New York Times. 'That's one of the most powerful things that I'm able to do, and that's simply wearing, like, an earring." Altogether, it isn't the most horrendous outfit in her style repertoire, but it did lack cohesiveness.

Meghan Markle wore an olive green tuxedo dress with a halter neckline to the 2018 Invictus Games closing ceremony in Sydney, Australia. The trip was one of many stops along their 16-day tour, which included visits to Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. She paired the Antonio Berardi dress with buckle-strap heels and her signature updo. She might have aimed for chic, but the former yoga instructor landed at laidback. Again, the dress accentuated the wrong features and failed to accentuate others, creating an unattractive silhouette that looked drab compared to her other looks.

However, 2018 was an eventful year for Markle, to be fair. She married into the royal family and spent the rest of the year traveling and fulfilling her royal duties as Duchess of Sussex. She was understandably very busy. At this point, though, it's become quite clear that if Markle is guilty of any fashion crime, it's neglecting to dress for her body type. She could have saved any of the aforementioned outfits by accessorizing with a belt to add some shape to the boxy silhouette. 

Her post-royal wardrobe has improved now that she and Prince Harry have left Britain, and her recent style is pressed to perfection. However, we hope to never again see the stunning former actor disappoint in another ill-proportioned outfit.