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, enabling her to 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 neutrals.
Although she insisted that she chose camel, beige and white on Royal engagements, so she didn’t clash with other members of the Firm, she has predominately worn muted colours since Megxit five years ago.
However, according to the King of Colour Cliff Bashforth, who is the managing director of image consultants Colour Me Beautiful, Meghan looks much better in ‘rich deep tones’ rather than insipid ones.
‘The Royal family‘s clothing choices are generally appropriate for the occasion and sometimes symbolic,’ he told the Mail online. However, whether each member wears the most flattering colours for their complexion may not always be the case.’
So, which colours best suit the senior members of the Royal family? And which make them look washed out?
The Princess of Wales – Colouring type: CLEAR
Kate sparkled in the Roksanda sunshine yellow Brigitte dress in 2022 as opposed to the pale yellow Jenny Packham and has learnt what suits her
When the Princess of Wales arrived in Jamaica on March 23, 2022, in a £1,200 sunshine yellow Brigitte dress by designer Roksanda, she literally sparkled. Contrast that to the pastel yellow Jenny Packham tea dress that she wore in Calgary, on July 7, 2011, and she has certainly learnt what suits her.
Cliff said: The Princess of Wales has CLEAR colouring – think Emma Willis and Keira Knightley – and looks her most vibrant in brighter or contrasting colour combinations. The Roksanda dress looks great and literally makes her face pop. She looks like she’s wearing the dress. However, the pastel Jenny Packham dress does nothing for her. It is insipid. Her head just pops out of the top of the dress, which has no relationship to her colouring.’
Princess Eugenie – Colouring type: CLEAR
What a difference these two greens make to Princess Eugenie. She, like Princess Kate, looks better in stronger colours and Osman Eliza dress is the clear winner out of these two dresses
With similar colouring to Kate, Princess Eugenie looks better in brighter colours. Certainly the £545 Joseph Dubois asymmetric knitted and pleated satin-crepe dress that she wore to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster, on June 7 last year, did her no favours. Unlike the £697 Osman Eliza green dress she wore to the Nelson Mandela Centenary celebration on July 18, 2018, which was far more flattering.
Cliff said: ‘Princess Eugenie has CLEAR colouring – even ‘clearer’ than Kate – with dark hair and bright eyes. She therefore looks amazing when she wears brighter, bolder shades. The Joseph dress is quite a drab, muted colour, which drags her down and makes her look dowdy. However, the Osman Eliza dress harmonises with her colouring, illuminates her face and makes her eyes sparkle.
‘She actually looks happier in it and is even walking differently.’
Zara Tindall – Colouring type: LIGHT
Despite the drizzle, when Zara turned up at the Buckingham Palace garden party in May 2024 she was applauded for her wonderful outfit that cheered up a gloomy day
What a difference a year makes. When Zara wore a £760 bright pink Jane Atelier dress to Easter mattins on April 9, 2023, she looked too brash for the solemnity of the occasion.
But, when she turned up at the Buckingham Palace garden party, on May 21, 2024, in a £1,500 white Laura Green London Isobel dress, which had pale pink buttons, complimented by her Sarah Cant Rosa boater and pink suede Emmy heels, she drew comparisons with Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
Cliff said: ‘Zara Tindall has LIGHT colouring – think Reece Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow – and therefore looks her best in lighter, clearer shades – certainly near her face.
‘Colours such as light navy, aqua, primrose, sky blue, taupe, apple green, geranium red and periwinkle make the most of her natural colouring. Dark or muted shades can look drab and inexpensive on her.
‘The Jane Atelier dress she wore on Easter Sunday is literally wearing her. You can 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 with sophistication.’
Princess Beatrice – Colouring type: WARM
Unlike Princess Eugenie and Princess Kate, Beatrice suits autumnal colours which complement her complexion and strawberry blonde hair and Alaia burgundy dress was perfect
Unlike her sister and her cousin, Princess Beatrice looks better in autumnal colours which complement her warmer complexion 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 colouring. Contrast that to the Alaia burgundy velvet dress she wore to London’s Portrait Gala, on March 12, 2019, and you can tell the difference.
Cliff said: ‘Princess Beatrice has WARM colouring – think Julianne Moore and Nicola Roberts – and looks her best when she wears autumnal, yellow-based colours 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 a beautiful dress, the Beulah number she wore to the King’s Coronation literally drained her and made her look as if she needed a blood transfusion. However, the burgundy Alaia dress is rich, warm and blends with her colouring. She looks beautiful in rich earthy colours and her whole appearance looks blended and expensive. When it’s right it looks effortless and harmonious; when it’s wrong it jars.’
The Duchess of Sussex – Colouring type: DEEP
Meghan looked incredible in the burgundy Hugo Boss dress she wore to board a plane from Australia to New Zealand and Cliff Bashforth says she should choose richer colours
Meghan has worn her £600 House of Nonie blush sleeveless trench dress at least twice, to London’s Southbank Centre, on July 17, 2018, for the Nelson Mandela exhibition, and when she and Harry met with Graça Machel, Mandela’s widow, on the final day of their Royal tour of South Africa, on October 2, 2019.
But it does her no favours. 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 colouring – think Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lopez – and looks stunning when she wears stronger, rich shades such as mahogany, burgundy, pine green, scarlet, royal blue and chocolate.
Anybody with her colouring – 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, drained and insipid while the burgundy Hugo Boss dress is a great look. She’s much better in richer colours.’
Queen Camilla – Colouring type: COOL
Camilla has Cool colouring and rarely puts a foot wrong with colours but Cliff points out that the Fiona Clare dress patterned with leaves made her look a little dowdy
Queen Camilla rarely puts a foot wrong when it comes to choosing colours that flatter her complexion. So, it was a surprise when she chose a Fiona Clare dress, patterned with leaves, which made her look a little dowdy, to visit the Dyson Cancer Centre 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 features and was the perfect foil for the diamond brooch of a jockey and steed, given to the late Queen Elizabeth II for her 90th birthday, by the Racing Post newspaper.
Cliff said: ‘Queen Camilla – has COOL colouring – think Dame Judi Dench and Dawn French – and therefore should opt for shades with a blue undertone such as rose pink, lilac, lavender, all shades of grey or blue, berry reds, spruce green or peppermint.
‘Warm colours 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 colours spot on.
‘She has like a light, fresh, cool, rosy vibrancy, so anything autumnal, such as the Fiona Clare dress, tends to make her look dowdy. The spruce green dress by Anna Valentine suits her much better. It’s cooler and has more of a balancing effect.’
The Duchess of Edinburgh – Colouring type: SOFT
Cliff says Sophie has ‘soft’ colouring so she looks even more elegant when she wears taupe or stone but emerald Susannah London dress was the standout winner
As a patron of the London College of Fashion, the Duchess of Edinburgh has become known for being sartorially savvy. Yet even she sometimes gets it wrong.
On a visit to Sierra Leone, on January 21, 2020, she wore a £630 lime Ross Girl x Soler Brooke dress which did not complement her complexion.
However, the Susannah London soft emerald dress that has become one of her favourites – she has worn it on a handful of occasions including Trooping the Colour on June 8, 2019 – makes her look radiant.
Cliff said: ‘The Duchess of Edinburgh has SOFT colouring – think Kate Winslet and Zoe Ball – and should choose softer shades with little contrast.
‘Sophie looks even more elegant when she wears colours such as taupe, stone, charcoal, soft teal, amethyst, sage green or Airforce blue. I think this Ross Girl x Soler dress is much too intense for her soft blended colouring.
‘The balance is all out. However, the soft emerald Susannah dress is much more harmonious. We see Sophie looking radiant in a cheerful colour but it’s not overpowering.’
