Meghan's fashion faux pas: Duchess dons midi-dress with flats and businesslike trench coat to the beach
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are keeping the beach clean, but looks like the Duchess of Sussex committed her first sartorial faux pas by wearing a trench coat and black dress for a casual stroll on the South Melbourne Beach. Meghan, who started her day with a smartly tailored navy dress by Australian label Dion Lee, changed into an outrageous ensemble for the couple's beach outing.
The Duchess, who is on the third day of her royal tour, arrived on the beach with Prince Harry, dressed in a black buttoned Club Monaco dress, which she teamed up with her usual trench coat and a pair of black flats. On the other hand, Prince Harry looked quite handsome in his pair of black pants and a gray jacket.
Meghan's navy dress instantly put the 'Meghan Effect' in motion, as it reportedly crashed the Dion Lee website, after the 'Folded Sail dress' from the Pre-Fall 19 collection became available for pre-order online on Thursday. "The dress was custom made for Meghan Markle and will now go into production in the Resort 2019 collection," a spokesperson from Dion Lee told Daily Mail.
"It will drop into stores in January 2019. The dress is called the Folded Sail Dress and retails for $1290 RRP. Pre-order of the style will be available on www.dionlee.com from this afternoon."
A lot of people wouldn't know this, but the Duchess' black Rothy flats that she wore to the beach are made from recycled bottles once destined for landfill. They have become a craze with royal fans all over, especially after she wore them following her visit to Taronga Zoo on Thursday.
The royal couple reportedly rode public transport to the beach, as they hopped on one of Melbourne’s iconic trams for a short ride from the Albert Park Primary School to South Melbourne Beach. As they made their way to the sand, Meghan and Harry were greeted by volunteers from BeachPatrol and local children from the area for a beach cleanup.
During the outing, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were also introduced to four lifeguards from the beach. The couple was at the beach to volunteer for BeachPatrol, an organization that dedicates itself to keeping Melbourne’s shores free of litter to reduce the negative impact of litter on the marine environment and food chain as well as provide a safe environment for the public to enjoy their local beach.
After their departure, 15-year-old Milo Thompson, who interacted with both Meghan and Harry, spoke to People magazine about how he was impressed with the royal couple's demeanor. "I was expecting to introduce myself and be real proper," he said of meeting Prince Harry. "But he came and introduced himself and was calm and collected, and paying a lot of attention to us… they're down-to-earth and fun to be around."
