You may remember Jessica Mulroney (née Brownstein) as the Jewish mom at the center of the royal wedding. Her kids were the adorable twins who carried Markle’s veil as she climbed the church steps, Mulroney was seated right in front of Markle’s mom. Basically: She’s a big deal.
But since the wedding, the new Duchess of Sussex has been busy settling into her new royal role — and Mulroney has been in Canada doing, well, whatever Canadian things she normally does. But, last week, Mulroney, a stylist, apparently “secretly” flew to London to help her royal BFF dress for a slew of events.
Royal reporter Omid Scobie was the first to break the news. He tweeted yesterday, “Jessica Mulroney quietly flew in to London last week for final prep on her [Markle’s] Royal Visit Ireland wardrobe.” Scobie went onto explain that Mulroney is also responsible for three of Markle’s most praised looks so far: a bright yellow Brandon Maxwell dress she wore to an event called the “Commonwealth Youth Forum,” a Dior dress she wore to the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force, and Ralph Lauren dress she wore to Prince Louis’s christening.
Why does this all matter?
Well, it doesn’t really. But it’s fascinating because everything Markle wears is extremely scrutinized — and not everything has gone over well (wrinkles, weird colors, etc.). But this run of Mulroney-assisted #looks have been received super positively. Mulroney, you may remember, helped pick Markle’s wedding dress and engagement outfits — so she knows what she’s doing.
We break down some of the Mulroney-Markle looks below.
Dress 1:
This bright yellow dress signified a fashion shift for Markle: She’s wearing color! Before this, she wore dresses in various shades of blush, tan, and white. As fashion writer Elizabeth Holmes exclaimed, “ARE YOU AS HAPPY TO SEE THIS AS I AM” — and many in the fashion/royal/whatever-you-want-to-call-it world agreed.
Dress 2:
As fashion/royal blog “Go Fug Yourself” wrote, “Meghan LOVES a boat-neck top. Oh my god, she’s obsessed with a boat-neck. SHE DIES FOR BOAT-NECKS. Having said that: I personally die for this Dior. IT’S SO GOOD.” They added: “This hat is ALSO divine. This whole look might be my favorite of hers to date.” Go, Mulroney, go!
Dress 3:
A fancy hat! More color! Matchy-matchy in olive green! “Go Fug Yourself” wrote, “I quite like this dress on her — it feels very…professional isn’t exactly the right word. But sort of Appropriately Understated Yet Chic. I love the sleeves.” Appropriately Understated Yet Chic is a great motto for Markle. (And again, Mulroney’s influence is clear.)
After nailing that trio of fab looks, Mulroney also helped Markle prep for her visit to Ireland with Prince Harry. This was Markle’s first “overseas royal tour” and she wanted to make a style statement. (She also made a political statement: Markle reportedly expressed her support for abortion rights in a conversation with an Irish politician, who later tweeted that Markle said she was “pleased” with the recent vote to legalize abortion. But that’s considered a faux pass because “royals aren’t supposed to be political.” Oy vey.)
As The Cut wrote, “As a whole, Markle’s Ireland trip was a fashion tour de force, and another job well-done by her stylist, Jessica Mulroney.” And tabloid Hello! writes, “The team of Meghan and Jessica is a match made in fashion heaven. From the moment the former Suits star stepped onto Irish soil on Tuesday (July 10) wearing a super chic green blouse and skirt combo… it was clear that the duchess was ready to make a style statement. And she didn’t disappoint!”
Here’s one of her not disappointing Irish looks:
Job well done, Mulroney!
Header Image via Kensington Palace on Instagram.
