Since Meghan's Christmas Day appearance, a number of you have been in touch asking if it's possible the dress she wore underneath her Sentaler coat could be identified. We saw a peek of the burgundy velvet piece, but without some indication of the neckline, it looked like we would have to wait until Meghan gave it another outing to know.
Luckily, the brand who designed the piece - Club Monaco - confirmed on their Instagram page, it is in fact their Tay Dress. Note, the distinctive wrap detail at the bottom. Given the interest in the piece, perhaps they'll rename it The Meghan? :)
The velvet effect dress comes in a rich jewel-toned burgundy with tiered, ruffled short sleeves and an effortless wrap design. The colour was perfect for the festive season. The dress is available at Club Monaco where it is reduced from $298 to $239. It's also widely available at ShopBop, Neiman Marcus and Zalando.
Club Monaco received confirmation from Meghan's stylist Jessica Mulroney.
When Meghan and Harry joined the Queen in mid December at Windsor for the Royal Household Christmas Party it was reported by the Mail Online she wore a burgundy lace dress. Meanwhile, Hello! wrote she selected a "festive red dress" for the night. I suspect it's quite possible she may have worn the Club Monaco dress on that occasion too.
Meghan has long been a fan of the popular brand which was launched in Canada in 1985. The first store in Toronto still exists today. Today, the high-end casual clothing retailer is owned by Polo Ralph Lauren with 140 locations worldwide. We saw Meghan in their Sinthea dress in June for a special reading of the pilot episode of Suits at the ATX Festival.
It's a beautiful dress!
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An interesting and timely Meghan story doing the rounds today involves a blog post she wrote on The Tig last year sharing her New Year resolutions. The Telegraph reports:
'Prince Harry's fiancee wrote on her blog last year that she always has the same resolutions. The future duchess, who spent Christmas with the royals for the first time this year, admitted that she swears when she is "overworked or feeling mighty cheeky after a couple of drinks".
Ms Markle, 36, said she chews her nails when she is stressed, especially on turbulent flights. She revealed that every year she makes the same resolutions to cut out such "unladylike" behaviour. Writing on her candid personal blog on January 1, 2016, she explained: "Stop biting my nails. Stop swearing. Re-learn French. "These make my New Year's resolution list nearly (AKA actually every) single year. The swearing comes in lulls triggered by being overworked or feeling mighty cheeky after a couple drinks. And when it comes to the biting of the nails - well, it still happens with a turbulent flight or a stressful day. It's unladylike. But then again, so is the swearing. Dammit."
Meghan vowed to "leave room for magic" (We can safely say that hope came to fruition):
'She wrote: "For this new year, the only thing I aim to do is to approach life playfully. To laugh and enjoy, to keep my standards high but my level of self-acceptance higher.
"My New Year's resolution is to leave room for magic. To make my plans, and be okay if they sometimes break. To set my goals, but to be open to change.
"To let the magic know that there is an open door policy with me in 2016 and that it is always welcome to join the party.
"I invite you to do the same. Have a beautiful, blissful, and incredibly magical 2016. So grateful to be with you on the ride."
Seven months after writing the post, Meghan met Harry on a blind date.
With that, I want to wish you a Happy New Year. May 2018 bring all you hope for and more!