A guide to all of our favourite Meghan Markle dresses so far

The Duchess of Sussex has an impressive dress collection.

meghan markle dresses
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Duchess of Sussex has an impressive dress collection.

While the Duchess of Sussex may have been papped less since stepping down from royal duties and moving countries, it doesn't mean we can't appreciate her past outfits. Here's all of our favourite Meghan Markle dresses from her Hollywood to her royal days, including her Givenchy wedding dress and outfits from her royal tours and the red carpet.

Meghan Markle style

The Duchess of Sussex's style evolution can roughly be split into three timelines: her acting career, her years as a royal in the UK and her new life in LA. That's because each one of these required a completely different wardrobe.

Meghan had a successful run as Rachel on the hit TV show Suits, as well as some film roles, and as a result had to attend loads of red carpet events to promote her work. At the time, she was a big fan of chic pencil dresses, often strapless and in bold colours, as well as short party dresses.

When she transitioned into her role as the wife of Prince Harry and a new member of the royal family, she had to navigate plenty of new rules, especially concerning her wardrobe. For example, the women in the royal family are required to wear skirts that are below the knee, tights, and avoid wearing diamonds during the daytime, amongst many other guidelines.

Adjusting to life in LA with her family, the Duchess has reverted to her California roots, favouring laid-back outfits such as jeans, oversized shirts and floaty dresses. That said, her power wardrobe for business meetings is second-to-none, and she often goes for tonal looks.

Meghan Markle dresses

Much like her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle's dresses tend to be from local designers and brands during her career as a working royal in the UK. Some of Meghan Markle's favourite fashion brands include high end labels such as Victoria Beckham, Emilia Wickstead, Strathberry and Stella McCartney.

She also favours high street brands such as Reiss, Jigsaw and M&S, brands with which she collaborated on her clothing project for The Smart Works charity. Of course, being American, the Duchess also wears a lot of US brands and designers, such as Carolina Herrera, Misha Nonoo, Mother Denim and J.Crew.

Since having baby Lilibet, Meghan has understandably taken a step away from the spotlight, however she has made a couple of appearances which we've loved. She and Prince Harry went on a mini business trip to New York in late 2021 to participate in Global Citizen Live and encourage wealthy countries to share their vaccines with those in need.

They also attended meetings with the governor of NY, and the occasion called for a sharp work wardrobe. Meghan could be seen in tailored coats and knitted separates, carrying accessories such as the Lady Di Dior bag, an homage to Princess Diana. She also wore a headline-grabbing red Carolina Herrera gown to the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala.

I've included those and all of her best looks since she joined the royal family, as well as her best red carpet dresses from her acting days. Keep on scrolling...

Meghan Markle at the Primary Action 2007 Golden Globes Suite

Meghan Markle at the Primary Action 2007 Golden Globes Suite

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Amy Tierney/WireImage for Primary Action 111541203)

Meghan Markle at a Golden Globes party in 2012

Meghan Markle at a Golden Globes party in 2012

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic 137171254)

Meghan Markle at the GQ Man of the Year 2012

Meghan Markle at the GQ Man of the Year 2012

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic 156390320)

Meghan Markle at a Suits event in 2012

Meghan Markle at a Suits event in 2012

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NBCUniversal/USA Network 146228034)

Meghan Markle at UK premiere of The Hunger Games in 2013

Meghan Markle at UK premiere of The Hunger Games in 2013

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images 187682460)

Meghan Markle announcing her engagement in 2017

Meghan Markle announcing her engagement in 2017

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage 880161240)

In Nottingham in December 2017

In Nottingham in December 2017

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage 884230592)

At the Commonwealth Day Service in 2018

At the Commonwealth Day Service in 2018

Wearing Amanda Wakeley.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage 930964718)

Wearing Amanda Wakeley.

On her wedding day in May 2018

On her wedding day in May 2018

Wearing Givenchy.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images 960071170)

Wearing Givenchy.

On her wedding day evening

On her wedding day evening

Wearing Stella McCartney.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images 960174072)

Wearing Stella McCartney.

Trooping The Colour 2018

Trooping The Colour 2018

Wearing Carolina Herrera.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images 972331252)

Wearing Carolina Herrera.

For her first official engagement with The Queen

For her first official engagement with The Queen

Wearing Givenchy.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images 976311854)

Wearing Givenchy.

At Ascot in 2018

At Ascot in 2018

Wearing Givenchy.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images 980417216)

Wearing Givenchy.

Visiting Ireland in 2018

Visiting Ireland in 2018

Wearing Roland Mouret.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage 996906534)

Wearing Roland Mouret.

In Australia in 2018

In Australia in 2018

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images 1052770096)

In Fiji in 2018

In Fiji in 2018

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images 1052845916)

At the Fashion Awards 2018

At the Fashion Awards 2018

Wearing Givenchy.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Tristan Fewings/BFC/Getty Images 1080952336)

Wearing Givenchy.

At a gala performance in February 2019

At a gala performance in February 2019

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images 1129238880)

Presenting baby Archie in May 2019

Presenting baby Archie in May 2019

Wearing Wales Bonner.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images 1142164444)

Wearing Wales Bonner.

At the Lion King premiere in 2019

At the Lion King premiere in 2019

Wearing Jason Wu.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage 1162046379)

Wearing Jason Wu.

On a visit to Johannesburg in 2019

On a visit to Johannesburg in 2019

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage 1178573254)

In South Africa in September 2019

In South Africa in September 2019

(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage 1176621534)

At the One Young World summit in October 2019

At the One Young World summit in October 2019

Wearing Aritzia.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Gareth Fuller - Pool/Getty Images 1177642855)

Wearing Aritzia.

At the Endeavor Awards 2020

At the Endeavor Awards 2020

Wearing Victoria Beckham.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images 1210728493)

Wearing Victoria Beckham.

At the Mountbatten Music Festival in March 2020

At the Mountbatten Music Festival in March 2020

Wearing Safiyaa.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage 1211014408)

Wearing Safiyaa.

At the Commonwealth Day Service 2020

At the Commonwealth Day Service 2020

Wearing Emilia Wickstead.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images 1211545861)

Wearing Emilia Wickstead.

In New York for the 2021 Global Citizen Live event

In New York for the 2021 Global Citizen Live event

(Image credit: Getty Images)

At the Intrepid Museum's Annual Salute To Freedom Gala in 2021

At the Intrepid Museum's Annual Salute To Freedom Gala in 2021

Wearing Carolina Herrera.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum 1352556093)

Wearing Carolina Herrera.

At the Invictus Games in 2022

At the Invictus Games in 2022

Wearing Valentino.
(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images 1392284910)

Wearing Valentino.

At the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in 2022

At the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in 2022

Wearing Dior.
(Image credit: Getty Images Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage 1400817925)

Wearing Dior.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.