Duchess of Sussex gets her style mojo back in banana yellow dress

It seems the Duchess of Sussex isn’t as predictable as we all thought.

The 36-year-old’s worn an array of safe, ladylike and timeless neutral tones since becoming a member of the royal family, but on Thursday night Meghan threw the royal rulebook out of the window and opted for a bolder, more summery shade.

For a Your Commonwealth Youth Reception at Marlborough House in London, Meghan threw a fashion curveball and donned a punchy, banana yellow sheath dress by US designer (and former Lady Gaga stylist) Brandon Maxwell. A nod to her American roots – and the epitome of summer chic.

It’s not just Lady Gaga who’s a Maxwell fan. Michelle Obama has been dressed by the American designer on a number of occasions. He’s also a recipient of the prestigious CFDA award.

Fresh from the label’s spring 2018 collection, the £1,300 sleeveless dress featured a form-fitting cut and a side split. Despite it’s hefty price tag, it – predictably – sold out almost instantly.

The 36-year-old wore her hair in a low bun at the nape of her neck, flaunting the off-the-rack dress’ boat neckline.

Accessories were kept minimal, to let the dress do the talking. A lick of understated coral lipstick, a pair of nude Manolo Blanhik heels and subtle diamond earrings by Adina Reyter were the only additions.

Watch episode three of The Royal Box, featuring Princess Diana and Meghan Markle’s biographer Andrew Morton, below:

Yellow’s a colour the royal women have worn on a number of occasions.

The Queen, the Duchess of Cambridge and the late Princess Diana have all worn shades of yellow in the past – and it’s just as popular for A-listers too.

Who could forget Amal Clooney’s Stella McCartney royal wedding look?

The Duchess of Sussex might well have opted to wear the bright shade as it’s the first event she’s attended post-wedding where the Queen hasn’t attended. In the presence of Her Majesty, the other royals tend to opt for fairly subtle looks, to ensure the Queen is the centre of attention.

But despite its royal – and celebrity – approval, yellow’s still a tricky hue to make work. Fortunately, The Duchess’ gamble paid off as fans rushed to Twitter to applaud the look.

“Slaying in yellow,” tweeted one fan.

“Okay. I need a dress similar to the sun yellow dress of the duchess of sussex [sic],” wrote another.

The event also served up some lovely photos of the newlyweds.

After avoiding PDA at the Queen’s Young Leader’s event last week, Meghan and Harry fans can relax as the couple was back to holding hands and being tactile with one another last night.

Coming up for Meghan and Harry

It’s thought Meghan, Harry or both could attend Wimbledon over the next few days to cheer on friend Serena Williams, but if not then take comfort in the fact we’ll be seeing a lot of Duke and Duchess next week.

On Monday, the pair will join the royal family for Prince Louis’ christening at St James’ Palace.

Next up, Meghan and Harry, along with a number of other senior royals, will attend a service at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force. This will be followed by a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance for an RAF fly-by.

They’ll then head straight to Dublin for two days of engagements together. On the agenda is a meeting with Ireland’s president.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

“Gap will not be bridged between Meghan and Thomas Markle,” says royal biographer Andrew Morton

Meghan Markle’s special relationship with the Queen explained

Prince Harry’s longing for a family: “He wants to create something he never had”