Along with borrowing jewellery and heirlooms that once belonged to Princess Diana, Meghan Markle has taken the occasional style cue from her late mother-in-law. During her first pregnancy, Meghan replicated one unconventional fashion pairing Diana popularised back in the 80s.
When it comes to fashion, certain colours go together like bread and butter while bright colours or busy patterns risk being visually overbearing or jarring. On 14 January in 2019, Meghan visited Hamilton Square in Birkenhead in a bold colour combination you don't see as often: red and purple.
The Duchess of Sussex was pictured wearing a vibrant purple dress, which hugged her blossoming baby bump, beneath an eye-catching long-sleeved red coat. The pairing went against conventional fashion rules as colours that sit near each other on the colour wheel and share similar undertones, like red and purple, can clash rather than create visual harmony.
© GC ImagesMeghan's look was a far cry from the muted colours typically worn by senior members of the royal family. While purple and red are equally loud colours, Meghan expertly tied them together with a pair of matching red heels and a brown handbag to tone down the bold ensemble.
The colour pairing was one Princess Diana gave her stamp of approval three decades earlier during an outing in Hong Kong. The late Princess of Wales arrived at the Governor's launch on 7 November in a red and purple suit designed by Catherine Walker.
© Getty ImagesThe royal's look was quintessentially 80s with a cropped jacket fitted with shoulder pads and a high-waisted pencil skirt with a statement complementary belt. Diana tied the look together with a matching wide-brimmed purple hat with a red satin sash wrapped around.
HELLO!'s Fashion and Beauty News Editor Laura Sutcliffe tells us: "Red and purple are shades that could be deemed as clashing due to the strong undertones they convey, but at the same time, wearing them together nods to the colourblock trend, which is always in style. Meghan may be trying to emulate her mother-in-law, with an updated take on this standout 80s look."
Diana's daring approach to style
Diana was known for her bold and adventurous fashion that often bent the royal family's conventional style rules. She was regularly pictured walking around in bike shorts and pushed the boundaries with shorter hemlines and lower necklines.
One of Diana's favourite designers, Jacques Azagury, spoke exclusively to HELLO! about how the royal's daring approach to style did lead to some disagreements. Referring to an ice-blue dress that she wore to a gala performance of Swan Lake in 1997, Jacques recalled: "Take the blue dress. She wanted to go even shorter than that, and we [Jacques and Paul Burrell, Diana’s butler] said: 'Look, there’s not much dress at the top, there’s not much at the bottom – you’ll end up with nothing in between!'"
© Getty Images"I would put as little fabric on her as possible – she looked great,’ the designer continues. ‘I think she’s still influencing fashion – she could step out today and it would still be on trend. They [her dresses] were timeless."
