Meghan has swapped the high-street for high-end to show off her ‘status’ and ‘contrast’ from Kate, says expert

Meghan has swapped the high-street for high-end to show off her ‘status’ and ‘contrast’ from Kate, says expert - The Sun

MEGHAN Markle dazzled in a pair of earrings costing a whopping £25,700 at the Festival of Remembrance over the weekend, but this lavish show of wealth was a far cry from her fashion roots.

Since becoming the Duchess of Sussex and marrying Prince Harry, Meghan has gone from wearing £45 M&S jumpers to stepping out in designer names such as Givenchy and Stella McCartney.

Meghan Markle wore a pair of £25,700 earrings from Jessica McCormack to Saturday's Festival of Remembrance Credit: Getty - Contributor

WHO PAYS FOR MEGHAN'S WARDROBE?

Contrary to popular belief it is not the public...

While Meghan had a networth of over £5 million before she entered
the royal family, she now officially has a clothing budget as anyone who
marries into the family does.

Funding from the Duchy of Cornwall estate, owned by Charles,
pays for every single piece in Meghan's wardrobe as she will technically come
under his 'household budget'.

Kate has previously been reported to have spent around £500,000
on her wardrobe since her wedding to Prince William in 2011.

And a fashion psychologist has revealed it seems Meghan has been trying to show her status via her clothes, combating her critics through her wardrobe choices.

So her very first engagement after marrying Harry in May 2018 saw Meghan swap her high street pieces for a Givenchy ensemble worth over £14,000.

This compared to her first public appearance with Prince Harry at the 2017 Invictus Games where she wore a humble pair of blue jeans with a £144 shirt by her friend Misha Nonoo.

Then, of course, there was the black, oversized M&S jumper she work in January 2018 - a high street look which went down so well with Meghan fans the knit quickly sold out, prompting the shop to later release it in a new colour.

Meghan wore her expensive jewels with a black brocade midi-dress by Erdem and £490 Aquazzura heels

Meghan's recent pricey jewellery choices comes after she spoke of struggling with royal wife during a documentary with Harry for ITV.

The Duchess memorably spoke of "surviving not living" and said she was "not OK" - so perhaps choosing expensive outfits has helped her cope.

It's not unheard of for women to head to the shops when they're going through a hard time, and while many of us might splurge in Zara, she gets her fix in Givenchy.

"Perhaps she thinks by wearing expensive pieces she’ll be lauded for that," Author of the Psychology of Fashion Professor Carolyn Mair PHD tells Fabulous Digital.

"She wasn’t very happy – perhaps this is the way that she makes herself happy.

Meghan's wardrobe is a far cry from the days before she married Prince Harry when Meg opted for a £45 jumper from M&S for her engagement in Brixton

“Our clothes allow us to express our identity and the
identity that she is showing is one of extravagance.”

Making a statement

Meghan's recent "flashier" style are a stark contrast to other royals who typically play down their fashion choices.

Flamboyant and inaccessible to the ‘commoners.’
Professor Carolyn Mair PHD

Kate Middleton has increasingly favoured cheaper pieces, recently choosing a pair of Accessorize earrings costing £1.50 and a £17.99 headband from Zara, which she wore at the Festival of Remembrance.

Author of the Psychology of Fashion Professor Carolyn Mair PHD, speaks exclusively to Fabulous Digital about how Meghan has made the significant shift from being a thrifty queen to a designer duchess.

Meghan may be interpreting her new royal status with the clothes that she wears, with her first engagement after she married Harry seeing her wear a Givenchy ensemble worth over £14,000 according to Vanity Fair

Carolyn says that, unlike other royals, Meghan is keen to “make a statement” with her expensive pieces.

“She’s trying to say that she doesn’t have to follow the
rules” Carolyn explains.

“The rest of the royal family tend to play down what they
wear, they do wear designer clothes, and will dress in an expensive and
designer way for particular events.

“I think Meghan is showing that she can (dress this way.)
She’s making a statement to show she can actually afford to dress like that.”

This Oscar De La Renta ballgown worn by Meghan at the Australian Geographic Awards last year is believed to have cost £11,954

Having married a Prince, Carolyn says that Meghan may be keen to demonstrate how she has changed in fashion form.

As Carolyn puts it she has gone from casual shirt and jean
combos of her acting days to designer ball gowns.

She says: “The lifestyle that goes with marrying Prince Harry, I suppose she wants to show it through her clothes. She’s choosing to dress like that because she can and she’s now a royal."

No Middleton ground

Royal commentators have been quick to point out the
difference in cost between the Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Cambridge’s
outfits.

But Carolyn claims that both women are making a statement
with their price tags.

Meanwhile Kate Middleton has become thriftier and thriftier with these earrings worn in September costing just £1.50 from Accessorize

And the headband worn by Kate to the Festival of Remembrance cost just £17 from Zara

She said: “Meghan is making a statement it’s to be
different, to be in contrast to Kate and to show that she can afford to be.

“Kate always seems so complicit and compliant that perhaps
she also wants to make a statement and that it’s the opposite of Meghan.

“Kate has a stylist so she might well send someone out and asks
them to get a nice bargain to go with (an outfit.)

But Kate wasn't always so frugal as this Chanel outfit worn to Paris in 2017 proves

“And while she is compliant she also has her own style and it’s one much more for the people that they can relate to.”

However, Kate wasn't always so frugal.

It was reported in 2017 that the Duchess of Cambridge spent £119,000 of the Duchy purse on her wardrobe - £17,000 more than the year before.

In fact Kate spent over a whopping £12,000 on just one Chanel outfit during a trip to Paris.

Clap-back couture

Meghan paired a £2,070 cream Brandon Maxwell dress with a £2,402 beige Burberry trench coat and a £737 pair of nude Manolo Blahnik heels for a walkabout in New Zealand

But while the Duchess may be attempting to express herself
through fashion, Carolyn warns that her expensive taste is bound to have
ramifications.

The ruby-encrusted earrings by Jessica McCormack chosen by Meghan at the Remembrance Service came in at just under £30,000 – in comparison to Kate’s £17 Zara headband.

And Carolyn has described the eye-watering cost as “insensitive.”

“She didn’t really think through the significance of remembrance Sunday. It was badly thought out, the significance and the relationship of the extravagance and that day,” she says.

Wearing a £4,200 custom Givenchy dress as Meg did to Ascot could prove "irritating" and "insensitive" to the public according to Carolyn

But it isn’t just the earrings that have struck a chord with
Carolyn, who says that Meg’s sky-high wardrobe costs are proving “irritating”
to the public.

Of course people have commented on her choices, and while some aren't a fan of her pricey looks others have praises her for looking chic and polished.

On top of this, the duchess is known for rewearing many of her pieces - just like Kate.