The eye-catching red dress that Duchess Meghan wore on Saturday is not entirely new

CNN
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Editor’s Note: Look of the Week is a regular series that looks at the good, the bad and the ugly, revealing the most talked-about outfit of the last seven days.

There’s not much you can understand about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: from her rise to fame as a British royal to her ambitious lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. But a rare opportunity for connection came on Saturday when Meghan showed up to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala in a red Carolina Herrera dress that she previously wore in 2021.

While re-emerging wardrobe relics is a fairly common experience for everyone, for those in the public eye it is a more conscious choice. To spark the debate about sustainability in fashion, celebs like Cate Blanchett, Gwenyth Paltrow and Billie Eilish have recently opted to re-wear old outfits on red carpets.

However, the Duchess’s appearance had undergone some notable changes. When she first debuted the dress three years ago at a gala celebrating veterans in New York, it was a formal gown with a skirt with a voluminous built-in train, paired with pointed satin pumps and the sophisticated 2.15-carat Birks -Snowflake Snowstorm Diamond Earrings She regularly wore it on official royal visits.

On Saturday, Meghan – who retired from royal duties alongside husband Prince Harry over four years ago – ditched the design and stepped out in a more tailored version of the dress. Her hair was down and her jewelry was simple: no necklace, no visible earrings – just a few rings and her oft-worn Cartier Love bracelet. She completed the outfit with open slingbacks by Giuseppe Zanotti.

After learning to dress within the narrow confines of the royal family’s rules, the Duchess has taken a different fashion direction – one that is perhaps more in keeping with her life before Prince Harry. Last September, she wore an emerald green lace off-the-shoulder tube dress by Cult Gaia to the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany. More recently, Meghan has opted for strappy summer dresses with thigh slits during visits to Nigeria and Colombia.

Her red, tailored Carolina Herrera dress and tousled hair embody a more casual approach to evening wear (compared to her life as a working queen, of course). And with no official dress codes to break, Meghan can shine a spotlight on the charity – particularly LA Children’s Hospital. “The staff is incredible,” Meghan told People Magazine that evening. “And the amount of work that they do for families who really couldn’t afford that level of care, I think should never be overlooked,” she said. “I’m grateful for everything they do.”

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