Meghan Markle made a glamorous return to the red carpet on Tuesday evening, as she attended the premier of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic in Jamaica with Prince Harry.
The duchess has attended only a small number of such events since splitting from the monarchy and moving to the U.S. with Prince Harry in 2020. Most recently, she was photographed attending the Variety Power of Women gala in Los Angeles in November.
These high profile events not only give fans an opportunity to see Meghan moving with the Hollywood elite, but they also provide a showcase for some major fashion moments, something for which she has found praise among the press since her marriage in 2018.
On Tuesday at the Carib Theatre in Jamaica's capital city of Kingston, Meghan debuted a classic new outfit, featuring a dramatic voluminous skirt and skin-tight bodice in matching shades of black.
This color scheme is notable for two reasons. Firstly, it corresponds to Meghan's love of neutral colors when it comes to her wardrobe. Rarely does the duchess incorporate bold colors into her event-wear, relying most regularly on shades of nude, earth tones or black and white.
Secondly, it shows Meghan's willingness to buck traditional forms of dressing for members of the royal family. For royal women, black is a color nearly exclusively reserved for periods of mourning, so, princesses like sister-in-law Kate, will rarely, if ever, be seen at an event such as a movie premiere in an all-black ensemble.
The overall silhouette of Meghan's premiere outfit, the designer of which has yet to be confirmed, conforms to the classic fit-and-flare style that showcases the wearer's figure by accentuating the waist.
Reflecting on this design, royal fashion expert Christine Ross told Newsweek that the duchess stylistically evoked the memory of other high-profile fashion icons.
"The Duchess of Sussex's look for the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love was a great balance of red carpet glamour and the relaxed atmosphere of the premiere," she said.
"A simple, strappy tank top paired with a voluminous ballgown skirt and slicked back, simple hair is reminiscent of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's timeless style, and we know that Meghan has admired her classic aesthetic for years."
The look stays true to her personal style," she added, "with a monochromatic palette and classic, clean lines dominating her wardrobe."
Tuesday's event saw Meghan and Harry mixing with heavy hitters in the entertainment industry, most notably Brian Robbins, CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and his wife, Tracy James.
When the royal couple split from the monarchy in 2020, they formed their own production company, Archewell Productions, and signed a multi-million-dollar content creation deal with streaming giant Netflix.
So far, the couple have produced three docuseries for the platform, with ambitions to move into scripted content moving forward.
Also at the Marley premiere was Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness, who was photographed with the couple on the red carpet.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
