All Eyes Are On Meghan Markle's Outfits In Her New Show

"Suits" actor and estranged royal Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has evolved a lot over the years. She's gone from a performer to a public figure and philanthropist; Meghan Markle's undergone a stunning style transformation; and she's even tried to rebrand herself recently, flexing her right to the Sussex family name in her new Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," which sees her seemingly trying to evolve into the next Martha Stewart.

The premise is intriguing. We're all about getting in touch with our inner domestic goddesses, especially since activities like cooking can help boost your mood and improve your mental health. But while the focus of "With Love, Meghan" is ostensibly cooking and hosting, offering the duchess a chance to show off her skills in the kitchen, her wardrobe has captured a lot of audience attention — thoroughly distracting from her aspirational harvest-inspired gift baskets and even the wide appeal of menu items like Honey Lemon Cake and Single-Skillet Spaghetti. Markle is typically a snappy dresser, so some of this sartorial attention has been positive. However, some of it ... not so much.

On her new Netflix show, Meghan Markle describes her approach to fashion as "high-low," meaning that she mixes expensive designer pieces with affordable staples. However, some viewers have critiqued her aesthetic for being overly monochrome and more high than low. "[C]ooking in white satin — so practical!" wrote one Instagram commenter, while another piled on, "Yes, I'm so relatable and down to earth... but I'll wear $2000s worth of clothes to cook in." One user also poked fun at the production's use of a rented mansion, asking, "Are these her real clothes or is she faking it like the house?"

Watching the show without any context, you might wonder if there's any weight behind these complaints. Even setting aside her shoes and jewelry, whose price tags repeatedly reach up into the thousands throughout the series, consider these examples of ruinable garments — all worn in a single episode. In Episode 2, Markle potters in the kitchen wearing a $300 past-season cashmere sweater from Doen and a $295 Sawyer Slip Skirt from Jenni Kayne, which is practically inviting disaster. Elsewhere, she risks a retired $1,325 sweater from Loro Piana. And the frock she chooses for a children's party, sure to be full of accidental spills and sticky fingers? A $1,085 Emilia Wickstead midi dress from 2019.

This upper-crust styling holds true throughout the series, and while we wouldn't mind owning a few of these pieces — Markle does look absolutely stunning — they don't scream "practicality" for activities like food prep or gardening. Of course, one doesn't have to take Markle's on-screen wardrobe so literally — we can copy her style without tempting fate by making a red sauce while wearing any investment items. And as other fans demonstrate, some Netflix bingers are still excited to take cues from Markle's closet.

Any celebrity project is bound to attract a few online haters, and "With Love, Meghan" is no exception. But the Netflix series, which has already been renewed for a second season, has also resonated with plenty of people, including fans who adore Meghan Markle's refined fashions. "I love this dress. So feminine and elegant," one Instagram user said of Markle's Ulla Johnson Freesia Gown in slate blue.

Best of all? Thanks to Markle's high-low style, she does wear a few affordable pieces that we, too, can get our hands on. One of the more accessible items is Markle's $49.90 Pleated Linen Straight-Leg Pants from Zara, which can be styled with a fitted sweater or an airy blouse for easy stealth-wealth vibes. Eagle-eyed shoppers have also started sniffing out dupes for some of the duchess' pricier pieces. If you can't splash out $250 to $350 for an Anine Bing button-up (Markle's solid-blue style is out of stock at the time of writing, anyway), Zara comes to the rescue again with its Oversized Poplin Shirt, which retails for $59.90.

Between taking notes on Markle's style and following along with her recipes and hosting tips, we're developing a pretty clear roadmap to living our own duchess-style lives (albeit on a smaller budget). Now, all we need is Meghan Markle's favorite perfume to live out our cottagecore dreams.