The message behind Meghan's £53,000 ‘Succession chic’ New York tourdrobe

Double-faced cashmere coats, luxe roll neck jumpers in tasteful neutral hues, impeccable tailoring and subtle but unmistakable sprinklings of diamonds… This could be the wardrobe checklist for Succession’s Shiv Roy or the pieces you’d expect to see on the moodboard for Jennifer Aniston’s character on The Morning Show.

It’s also a selection of the key items worn by the Duchess of Sussex during her three-day visit to New York with Prince Harry, which culminated on Saturday evening with the couple’s appearance at the Global Citizen Live concert in Central Park.

The visit has been called a post-royal tour, with Harry and Meghan dropping in to read books to school children in Harlem one minute and meeting with UN dignitaries the next. It had echoes of Amal Clooney’s high-powered UN trips, when she would wear an upscale designer wardrobe whilst on duty representing victims of human rights abuses - see, the time she debuted a suite of looks worth £168,000 whilst seeking to bring global attention to the plight of the Yazidi people in 2017.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were always going to draw attention on their first major public tour since leaving the Royal family in March 2020, but the message imbued in Meghan’s clothing choices were unmistakable - this is the beginning of a serious and professional new era in their lives where their ambition is to be key players on the world stage, influencing political decisions and speaking out on the causes close to their hearts.

To the untrained eye, Meghan looked sleek and businesslike, sure, but dig a little deeper and you discover that her outfits embraced the private jet power style popularised by Succession and epitomised by many of the labels in her NY tourdrobe, like Max Mara and Loro Piana. The total estimated spend across six looks was £53,600.

Ahead of their New York trip, the Sussexes appeared on the cover of Time magazine in similarly understated yet sophisticated looks, which, crucially, were styled by Clare and Nina Hallworth who mastermind Jennifer Aniston’s red carpet appearances as well as her costumes in The Morning Show, which are whisperingly expensive. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Hallworths had helped the Duchess to prepare her NY wardrobe, too.

Here’s every look and the detail behind it…

Look one: One World Observatory visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their flurry of New York appearances with a sombre visit to the 9/11 memorial. In respectful royal fashion, Meghan opted for a dark outfit but that was where the regal undertones ended.

There was a Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (a woman Meghan has previously cited as a style muse) energy to the complete simplicity of the look, from the slicked back bun to the minimalist Emporio Armani coat and ‘90s rollneck. Note the bootleg coat of her trousers (as yet unidentified), too - an under-the-radar way to be of-the-moment as it’s a style making a big fashion comeback this season.

A smattering of meaningful jewellery elevated the look, from the Cartier earrings she wore on her wedding day and the label’s LOVE bracelet to Princess Diana’s gold Tank watch, a gold and diamond ring from Canadian jewellers Birks and a tennis bracelet from LA jeweller Jennifer Meyer. Meghan finished the outfit with heels by one of her favourite shoe brands, Aquazzura.

Look two: Meeting with the US Ambassador to the UN

Later on Thursday, Meghan and Harry met with America’s ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The Duchess changed into a new outfit but kept the feeling dialled down, sticking to black and camel.

She matched her £1,224 Max Mara coat to her £2,250 Valextra handbag, a label which avoids blatant logos in favour of ‘if you know, you know’ details, a hallmark of the stealth-wealth look.

This was the only time Meghan wore a skirt in the daytime during the mini tour, choosing her old friend Roland Mouret’s ‘Arreton’ pencil skirt with £460 Armani heels - Armani is fast emerging as the anchor of the Duchess’s new chapter wardrobe as she’s worn the brand several times since choosing its black lotus-adorned dress for the Oprah interview back in March.

It’s notable that this - and most of the other brands worn by Meghan lately are neither British nor American, which suggests that she now sees herself as a global personality, rather than having to be patriotic to a particular country (though the Italian fashion industry will be especially delighted with the representation it’s had on this trip).

For a final showbiz touch, the Duchess added Valentino sunglasses.

Look three: Harlem school visit

The optics of wearing a £4,095 coat to visit a school where 95 per cent of children are eligible for free school meals are perhaps questionable, but Meghan is savvy enough to be aware that those choices will mean her visits receive more coverage.

For the engagement, which saw her read her book The Bench to an outdoor class, the Duchess wore a full look by Italian luxury house Loro Piana, creators of the world’s most desirable cashmere. Her outfit included a pair of Katharine Hepburn-esque tailored trousers

and a classic crew neck sweater.

Meghan completed the monochrome outfit with coordinating £515 Manolo Blahnik heels and a wallet by Bottega Veneta

Look four - Meeting with UN Secretary-General

Harry and Meghan took their new self-created roles as campaigners/ ambassadors/ very serious representatives right to the top on Saturday morning, heading to the United Nations to meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

It was Max Mara’s turn to get the full-look Meghan treatment for this outing. She wore one of the label’s classic camel coats with a tonal shirt and another pair of Hepburn-esque trousers. You could imagine Shiv Roy arriving at a tense family summit in this exact ensemble.

The Duchess underscored her hard-working approach to the visit by swapping a handbag for a £495 Smythson laptop case.

Look five - concert arrival

Meghan swapped her polished, professional outfits for something a little more glam later on Saturday, when she arrived for the centrepiece moment of the Sussex comeback.

Ahead of their on-stage appearance at Global Citizen Live, the Duke and Duchess made their entrance looking every inch the glitzy power couple; Harry resembled Bond at the culmination of a tough mission in a black suit and white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar while Meghan wore a Dior coat which is thought to be a custom design and carried a black Lady Dior bag, personalised with the letters ‘DSSOS’, referring to her Duchess of Sussex title.

The choice of bag is especially significant. The style was called the Lady Di bag in the ‘90s in tribute to Harry’s mother who loved her black quilted version and regularly carried it on her own post-royal humanitarian missions. Meghan’s decision to debut her own version symbolises just how much her and her husband’s new life is being shaped by Diana’s strategy, which saw her call for an end to the use of landmines, visit children’s hospitals and maintain close ties with homelessness charities.

Meghan was also seen wearing sunglasses by Tom Ford.

Look six - concert appearance

Cocktail chic Meghan was back for her and Harry’s turn on stage, where they called for global vaccine equity.

The Duchess’s white Valentino dress looked optimistic and summery (in contrast to some of those coats and knits which puzzled everyone else in warm NY last week) but the decision to wear Valentino was an informed one.

The fashion house is leading the movement to make it cool to be vaccinated with its £590 (V)accinated hoodie, proceeds from which are being donated to UNICEF’s Covax facility. Though fashion watchers had hoped that Meghan and Harry might wear the design and send it stratospherically viral (ahem), a more elegant show of support for a brand supporting the same cause as her was a sign that, despite almost eighteen months mostly out of the spotlight, the Duchess’s style instincts are as sharp as ever.

Trip total: £53,600.05