Dress worn by Meghan Markle in Australia causes designer’s website to crash
The dress worn by the Duchess of Sussex during her first public appearance since announcing her pregnancy has caused the designer’s website to crash.
Prince Harry and Meghan are currently in Australia as part of a 16-day trip, where they’ll also be visiting New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.
On the first day of the royal tour, the duchess wore an ivory mid-length shift dress by Australian designer Karen Gee that retails at 1,800 Australian dollars (£970).
Despite the hefty price tag of the ‘Blessed’ dress, avid shoppers have swarmed the Karen Gee website in the hope of emulating Meghan’s look.
The surge of activity led to the Karen Gee website crashing shortly after the duchess was pictured wearing the dress.
However, the site has since been restored, with Gee telling the Sydney Morning Herald that she feels "proud" to have had one of her designs chosen.
In 2011, Gee won the Mrs Australia Globe competition, an Australian beauty pageant that’s open to participants who are over the age of 25, married or parents.
A couple of years later, she launched her eponymous clothing label.
A number of people have praised Gee for being chosen as the first designer worn by the duchess since Kensington Palace announced the news that she's expecting a baby in spring next year.
“What a coup for Karen Gee,” tweeted Sylvia Jeffreys, presenter on Nine Network’s Today show in Australia.
“She’s not the biggest fashion designer in town but Karen Gee has hit the biggest jackpot of all today - her dress being worn by Duchess of Sussex in her first appearance since revealing she was pregnant is the ultimate money shot. Bravo!!” another person wrote.
Meghan wore a similar dress while attending a reception for the Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge in July, shortly after her May wedding to Prince Harry.
During the event at Marlborough House, the duke and duchess met with young leaders of the Commonwealth, with the aim of “giving the young people of the Commonwealth a voice in its future.”
The duchess wore a bright yellow boat-neck crepe sheath midi dress for the event, created by US designer Brandon Maxwell.
Meghan has demonstrated her penchant for boat-neck dresses on many occasions, most notably with the design of her Givenchy wedding gown.
