Is Meghan bidding to be First Lady of fashion – by choosing identical outfits to presidents’ wives, from Jackie Kennedy to Melania Trump?
She has been said to echo Princess Diana in some of her fashion choices.
But it seems that the Duchess of Sussex has now been drawing inspiration from a different source: The First Ladies of the United States.
And their influence appears to stretch back to the 1980s as Nancy Reagan’s formal, almost regal approach to dressing has seemingly found its way into Meghan’s wardrobe.
From the elegance of Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama’s chic modernity, mixing contemporary designs and bold prints, Meghan’s wardrobe has subtly mirrored some of the most iconic figures in American political fashion history.
Back in the 1990s, Hillary Clinton turned heads when she donned a cold-shoulder Donna Karan gown at a White House event. That bold choice was a statement, pushing boundaries in an era when presidents’ wives were often expected to be conservative and demure.
Now Meghan has adopted these First Lady formulas for her own fashion choices.
Both Meghan and Melania share a very similar fashion taste, dressing with clean lines for a minimal American style look.
Both Melania and Meghan share a love of fashion and both seem to favour clean lines, creating a minimal American look
During Melania and Donald Trump’s UK tour in 2019, the First Lady opted for a red cape gown by Meghan’s go to designer Givenchy at a Winfield House dinner. A year later, at the Mountbatten Music Festival, Meghan mirrored the ensemble in a Safiyaa frock with matching cascading cape sleeves, sleek wavy locks and statement earrings.
Michelle Obama
Meghan appeared to use Michelle as a muse when dressing for a visit to Marlborough House in London in 2018.
Michelle and Meghan wore these dresses nearly ten years apart, with the Duchess wearing it slightly below the knee with a higher neckline
Only occasionally incorporating vibrant hues in her wardrobe, she was bold and bright in a canary yellow dress by Brandon Maxwell, which looked strikingly similar to a design worn by Michelle in 2009.
First Lady Michelle selected the flattering Jason Wu bateau neck dress for a meeting at the Quirinale Palace in Rome almost a decade earlier.
Jackie Kennedy
As one of the most enduring fashion icons the world has ever known it’s no surprise that Meghan has followed the style set by former first lady Jackie Kennedy more than 60 years ago.
These short-sleeved outfits worn by Jackie Kennedy and Meghan have great sartorial impact, both have been teamed with black handbags
One of Jackie’s most famous fashion accessories was the neat and chic pillbox hat. Originally designed by Roy Halston while working for Bergdorf Goodman, she was seen wearing her trademark hat with her Oleg Cassini outfit during a state visit to France in 1961.
Meghan channelled the former First Lady and donned a short-sleeve Prada skirt suit featuring oversized buttons and a waist belt for the Young Leaders Awards in 2018. Skipping the iconic pillbox hat, Meghan’s ensemble mirrored Jackie’s look when she visited the JFK memorial in 1965, from the wavy blowdry to the contrasting Prada black bag she carried.
Jill Biden
Stepping out with a sartorial bang on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in April, First Lady Jill Biden was sleek and chic in a white tailored tuxedo trouser suit by Giorgio Armani.
Both Jill Biden and the Duchess look chic in their single breasted white trouser suits worn only a month apart, with the First Lady appearing in hers first
Just one month later during her Nigeria tour Meghan followed the same minimalist dress code in a pristine single breasted Altuzarra suit layered over a simple camisole top with matching flared trousers.
Hillary Clinton
One of First Lady Hillary Clinton’s most talked about dresses was a black turtleneck Donna Karan gown with shoulder cutouts, which she wore for her first state dinner at the White House in 1993.
This whole new look for Mrs Clinton at her first state dinner at the Whitehouse has the same look as the Duchess’s frock in Dusseldorf in 2023
Meghan often opts for a halterneck design, and here at an Invictus Games Reception in 2023 her form-fitting knitted Toteme dress with turtleneck collar is reminiscent of Hillary’s most talked about look.
Nancy Reagan
Amid the splendour of the 80s, actress-turned-First Lady Nancy Reagan opted for a simple and formal style.
Nancy Reagan’s fashion formula shows up in Meghan’s simple Heidi Merrick polo dress worn in 2024
Former actress Meghan follows the same fashion formula with her draped cross-front Heidi Merrick frock which she wore at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge last year.
It has marked similarities to the cream halter-neck gown that Nancy chose for a GOP fundraiser at the Century Plaza Hotel in 1973.
