Expert reveals the subtle reason Meghan Markle’s clothing makes her look drained – while Kate Middleton’s outfits make her pop writes CLAUDIA JOSEPH
While the late Queen became known for her rainbow wardrobe, which helped her stand out from the crowd and be seen by the general public, the Duchess of Sussex was once dubbed the ‘Queen of Cream’ for her love of neutral colours.
Although she insisted on choosing camel, beige and white for royal engagements so as not to clash with other Firm members, she has mainly worn muted colors since Megxit five years ago.
However, according to the King of Color Cliff Bashforth, director of image consultants Color Me Beautiful, Meghan looks much better in “rich, deep tones” than in bland shades.
“The royal family’s clothing choices are generally appropriate to the occasion and sometimes symbolic,” he told the Mail online. However, it is not always the case that each member wears the most flattering colors for his or her skin tone.’
Which colors best suit the senior members of the royal family? And what makes them look faded?
The Princess of Wales – Color type: CLEAR
Kate shone in Roksanda’s sunny yellow Brigitte dress in 2022, in contrast to the pale yellow Jenny Packham, and has learned what suits her
When the Princess of Wales arrived in Jamaica on March 23, 2022, wearing a £1,200 sunshine yellow Brigitte dress from designer Roksanda, she literally dazzled. Compare that to the pastel yellow Jenny Packham tea dress she wore in Calgary on July 7, 2011, and she’s certainly learned what suits her.
Cliff said: The Princess of Wales has BRIGHT colors – think Emma Willis and Keira Knightley – and looks most vibrant in brighter or contrasting color combinations. The Roksanda dress looks amazing and literally makes her face stand out. She looks like she is wearing the dress. However, the pastel-colored Jenny Packham dress doesn’t do anything for her. It’s tasteless. Her head just sticks out of the top of the dress, which has nothing to do with her color.”
Princess Eugenie – Color type: CLEAR
What a difference these two greens make for Princess Eugenie. She, like Princess Kate, looks better in stronger colors and the Osman Eliza dress is the clear winner of these two dresses
With similar colors to Kate, Princess Eugenie looks better in brighter colors. Certainly the £545 asymmetrical knit and pleated satin crepe dress by Joseph Dubois that she wore to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster on June 7 last year did her no favors. Unlike the £697 green Osman Eliza dress she wore to Nelson Mandela’s centenary celebrations on July 18, 2018, which was much flattering.
Cliff said: ‘Princess Eugenie has a BRIGHT complexion – even ‘brighter’ than Kate – with dark hair and bright eyes. So she looks great wearing brighter, bolder shades. The Joseph dress is a rather dull, muted color, which makes it pull down and look sloppy. However, Osman Eliza’s dress harmonizes with her color, illuminates her face and makes her eyes sparkle.
“She actually looks happier and even walks differently.”
Zara Tindall Color type: LIGHT
When Zara showed up to the Buckingham Palace garden party despite the drizzle in May 2024, she was applauded for her stunning outfit that brightened a gloomy day
What a difference a year makes. When Zara wore a bright pink £760 Jane Atelier dress to Easter mats on April 9, 2023, she looked too brash for the solemnity of the occasion.
But when she appeared at the Buckingham Palace garden party on May 21, 2024, in a £1,500 white Laura Green London Isobel dress with pale pink buttons, accessorized with her Sarah Cant Rosa booter and pink suede Emmy heels, it drew comparisons to Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
Cliff said: ‘Zara Tindall has LIGHT colors – think Reece Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow – so she looks best in lighter, brighter shades – especially near her face.
‘Colors such as light navy blue, aqua, primrose, sky blue, taupe, apple green, geranium red and periwinkle make the most of her natural colour. Dark or muted tones can look dull and cheap.
“The Jane Atelier dress she wore on Easter Sunday literally carries her. You see the dress coming before you see Zara. However, the Laura Green London dress she wore at the garden party looks much more expensive and elegant. She literally radiates sophistication.’
Princess Beatrice – Color type: WARM
Unlike Princess Eugenie and Princess Kate, Beatrice suits fall colors that complement her skin tone and strawberry blonde hair, and Alaia’s burgundy dress was perfect
Unlike her sister and her cousin, Princess Beatrice looks better in fall colors that complement her warmer skin tone and strawberry blonde hair. So the £720 Beulah London magenta dress she wore to the King’s coronation on May 6, 2023 clashed with her colour. Compare that to Alaia’s burgundy velvet dress she wore to the Portrait Gala in London on March 12, 2019, and you can see the difference.
Cliff said: ‘Princess Beatrice has WARM colors – think Julianne Moore and Nicola Roberts – and looks her best wearing yellow-based autumn colors such as lime green, turquoise, mustard, orange, terracotta, camel and golden brown. Cool, blue-based shades like baby pink and sky blue can make her look overtired and pale. Even though it was a beautiful dress, the Beulah number she wore to the King’s coronation literally exhausted her and made her look like she needed a blood transfusion. However, the burgundy Alaia dress is rich, warm and matches her colors. She looks beautiful in rich earthy colors and her whole look looks blended and expensive. When done right, it looks effortless and harmonious; if it’s wrong, punch it.’
The Duchess of Sussex – Color type: DEEP
Meghan looked stunning in the burgundy Hugo Boss dress she wore on board a plane from Australia to New Zealand and Cliff Bashforth says she should choose richer colors
Meghan has worn her £600 House of Nonie sleeveless trench coat at least twice, at London’s Southbank Center on July 17, 2018, for the Nelson Mandela exhibition, and when she and Harry met Graça Machel, Mandela’s widow, at the final day of their royal tour of South Africa, on October 2, 2019.
But it doesn’t do her any good. Conversely, she looked stunning in the £249 burgundy Hugo Boss dress she wore on October 28, 2018, as she boarded a plane from Australia to New Zealand.
Cliff said: ‘Meghan Markle has DEEP colors – think Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lopez – and looks beautiful wearing stronger, rich shades such as mahogany, burgundy, pine green, scarlet, royal blue and chocolate.
Anyone with her color – dark hair and dark eyes – looks great in dark and dark, or dark and light. But they can’t do light and light, or pastel and pastel. It just doesn’t suit them. It’s like putting a round peg in a square hole. So the nude Nonie dress makes her look tired and tacky, while the burgundy Hugo Boss dress is a great look. She’s much better in richer colors.’
Queen Camilla – Color type: COOL
Camilla has cool colors and rarely does anything wrong with colors, but Cliff points out that the Fiona Clare dress with a leaf pattern made her look a bit sloppy
Queen Camilla rarely puts a foot wrong when it comes to choosing colors that flatter her skin tone. So it was a surprise when she chose a Fiona Clare dress with a leaf pattern that made her look a little disheveled to visit the Dyson Cancer Center in Bath on September 3, 2024.
In contrast, the spruce green Anna Valentine dress she wore to Ascot on October 21, 2023, brought out her delicate facial features and was the perfect complement to the diamond jockey and steed brooch given to the late Queen Elizabeth II for her 90th birthday . , by the Racing Post newspaper.
Cliff said: ‘Queen Camilla – has COOL colors – think Dame Judi Dench and Dawn French – and should therefore opt for shades with a blue undertone such as pink, lilac, lavender, all shades of gray or blue, berry red, spruce green or peppermint.
‘Warm colors such as orange, mustard, lime green, golden brown or coral will dull her complexion and look less flattering against her rosy skin tone. She tends to get her colors perfect.
‘She has a light, fresh, cool, pink vibrancy, so anything autumnal, like the Fiona Clare dress, tends to make her look sloppy. Anna Valentine’s spruce green dress suits her much better. It’s cooler and has more of a balancing effect.’
The Duchess of Edinburgh – Color type: SOFT
Cliff says Sophie has ‘soft’ colors so she looks even more elegant wearing taupe or stone, but the emerald green Susannah London dress was the standout winner
As patron of the London College of Fashion, the Duchess of Edinburgh is known for her sartorial savvy. Yet even she is wrong sometimes.
During a visit to Sierra Leone, on January 21, 2020, she wore a £630 lime-colored Ross Girl x Soler Brooke dress, which did not match her skin tone.
However, Susannah London’s soft emerald green dress, which has become one of her favorites — she’s worn it a few times, including Trooping the Color on June 8, 2019 — leaves her looking radiant.
Cliff said: ‘The Duchess of Edinburgh has SOFT colors – think Kate Winslet and Zoe Ball – and should choose softer shades with little contrast.
‘Sophie looks even more elegant when she wears colors such as taupe, stone, charcoal, soft teal, amethyst, sage green or air force blue. I think this Ross Girl x Soler dress is way too intense for its soft mixed color scheme.
‘The balance is completely lost. However, the soft emerald green Susannah dress is much more harmonious. We see Sophie looking radiant in a cheerful color, but not overpowering.’