11 of Meghan Markle’s Best Little Black Dress Moments

Meghan Markle caused a buzz during Paris Fashion Week at the weekend, when she made a surprise appearance at Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut Balenciaga show. While her first all-white look—an oversized button-down shirt, paired with wide-legged trousers and a matching cape—represented an elevated take on the stealth wealth wardrobe that’s synonymous with Montecito, the millionaires’ enclave in which she now resides, her after-party outfit—a sleek black dress featuring a cape, also by Balenciaga—has long been a classic go-to for the Duchess of Sussex.

Indeed, Meghan’s love of an LBD goes back to her acting days, when she would often be photographed wearing a black minidress on the red carpet. Take the velvet peplum dress that she sported for an awards dinner in 2011, or the sequined off-shoulder number that she opted for at a Suits event in 2012.

During her time as a working royal, the Duchess would also regularly turn to her trusty black dresses. For the Fashion Awards in 2018, Meghan—then pregnant with Archie—wore a custom one-shoulder velvet dress by her wedding dress designer Givenchy, while at The Lion King premiere in 2019, she went for a sheer-panelled, fit-and-flare dress by Jason Wu.

Below, see all of Meghan’s best LBDs to date.