Outfit Mishaps Meghan Markle Can't Erase

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, was considered a style icon well before joining the royal family. She has always demonstrated an eye for fashion, most notably through her personal lifestyle blog, The Tig, where she shared her love for beauty, style, and wellness. The blog has since shut down, but Markle never abandoned her passions. The duchess has stayed true to her stylish side, undergoing a stunning style transformation during the transition from celebrity to royal.

As a former actor, Markle understands the importance of maintaining a flawless appearance in public, but even the duchess makes mistakes sometimes and has been caught wearing inappropriate outfits and outdated trends in the past. While she is not the first — or the last — royal to sport questionable looks during an official outing (Kate Middleton has also worn a handful of inappropriate outfits that we'll never forget), there are several occasions where Markle suffered wardrobe malfunctions that rival even the most unattractive of ensembles we've seen so far.

At the top of the list for Meghan Markle's most embarrassing outfit miscalculations is the time she wore a midi skirt that was a hint too sheer for a royal visit. The cobalt blue co-ord featured a Givenchy pleated skirt and a coordinating sweater with suede heels — a worthy look for a newly-appointed duchess. Markle donned this classy ensemble during a royal tour back in 2018 and people are still talking about it to this day. Fans everywhere were shocked when Markle arrived in the see-through skirt, which revealed the shape of her lower body and left little to the imagination.

That said, there has been some debate surrounding the design of this skirt, as some believe that the sheer fabric of the garment was in fact an optical illusion. "Certain fabrics with a heavy woven effect can strobe on camera," stylist Lucas Armitage told FEMAIL, via the Daily Mail. "Strobing is something you may have noticed on TV when someone is wearing stripes or check patterns and this causes an optical illusion which creates a moving flickering look. I suspect this is what is happening here and the fabric is thick heavily woven piece creating a camera strobe and the illusion its sheer [sic]." Unless Markle — or the designer — comments on it themselves, there's no way to know if the skirt's see-through appearance was an optical illusion or an unfortunate style choice.

During a 2018 royal tour, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and the Kingdom of Tonga in Polynesia. When the royal couple touched down at Fua'amato airport in Tonga, photographers caught a glimpse of a slight miscalculation that was equal parts relatable and embarrassing. As the pair descended the stairs, a strong gust of wind ruffled Meghan Markle's gorgeous hair (which has undergone a stunning transformation over the years by the way) and lifted the hem of her dress, revealing the bottom of a price tag.

While it might be less of a mishap for us non-royals to forget about removing a price tag, we expect better from Markle's style advisors — and Markle herself, seeing as she's a self-proclaimed fashionista. Did she forget to remove the price tag? Did she possibly intend to return the garment? It's unclear what caused the slip-up, but the incident has gone down in royal wardrobe history.

On July 11, 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Ireland to meet with the president, Michael Higgins, and his wife, Sabina Coyne. The duchess opted for simple neutrals for her visit, with a light gray boatneck dress, black suede pumps, and a matching Fendi handbag. The ensemble looked elegant overall, and we love that Meghan Markle accessorized with diamond earrings and her signature low bun. However, fans could not help but question her choice in undergarments after noticing a distinct outline around her chest.

It's possible that a strapless bra is to blame for the awkward outline of her bra. Alternatively, the Roland Mouret cascade dress might have been poorly fitted for Markle's frame, causing the overly-defined outline of her undergarment. Regardless, the unflattering outline was difficult to ignore and took away from what would have been a flawless royal outfit. 

Earlier this year, Meghan Markle made a visit to a children's hospital in Los Angeles, where she spent some time reading to patients for the Make March Matter campaign. For her visit, the duchess opted for a chiffon long-sleeve shirtdress complete with a pleated floral skirt. But following the publicized event, fans seem more concerned about the obvious hole in her left side than her involvement in the campaign.

We're at a loss to understand how neither her stylist or publicist spotted this blatant tear in the top half of her outfit. What's more, we also can't help but balk at the damage done to her stunning dress. This is the second time Markle has appeared in public wearing this lovely Oscar de la Renta design — which is estimated to be worth over $3,000 – but this marks the first time the Duchess of Sussex has experienced such a costly malfunction.

In the summer of 2018, Meghan Markle attended the wedding of Charlie van Straubenzee — one of Prince Harry's friends — and Daisy Jenks. She donned a sleek, black Club Monaco dress and paired the piece with matching accessories, including a clutch, pumps, belt, and hat. However, when Markle arrived at the outdoor wedding event, onlookers were quick to notice that the top button of her shirtdress had come undone, exposing a lacy black bra and a fair bit of skin. Markle later buttoned up her dress, but fans speculate whether the unbuttoned look was intentional or not.

Nevertheless, this awkward wardrobe slip was ill-timed, as critics had called her out for dressing inappropriately just two months earlier when she wore a revealing dress at the late Queen's birthday parade. The off-the-shoulder dress exposed her bare shoulders — a faux pas for royal dressing standards.