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How Meghan Markle Broke Royal Tradition with Her Dress for Archie’s Christening

This weekend was baby Archie‘s christening, a long-awaited event for royal family and fans alike. As usual, the Duchess of Sussex did things a bit differently. Meghan Markle broke royal tradition with her outfit at Archie’s christening by wearing a Dior dress rather than featuring a British designer. Even so, Meghan (and Archie) looked absolutely stunning at the ceremony — and we seriously can’t stop looking at those newly-released photos of baby Archie.

Vogue Australia identified Meghan’s outfit as a custom Dior dress paired with a matching hat and the same Cartier diamond earrings she wore to her wedding. The look “broke with tradition in the choice of a French-based fashion house rather than a British label,” which Meghan has opted for on previous high-profile occasions. In the first series of baby Archie photos, for example, Meghan is pictured in a Grace Wales Bonner dress: an “up-and-coming British designer.”

While Meghan may not have purposely snubbed this tradition, it does appear she chose her designer with great care. Dior recently announced its first-ever female artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has been said to invoke “feminist tones” in her collections. As a vocal proponent of gender equality, Meghan may have been signaling her support for the direction in which Dior is moving.

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Baby Archie’s christening gown was also noteworthy: per the Sussex Royals Instagram, it has been “worn by royal infants for the last 11 years.” It is itself a replica of a gown from 1841, worn by Queen Victoria’s daughter and replicated in 2004. The couple’s Instagram post emphasizes the rich history of Archie’s attire — perhaps to signify that, even if Meghan’s own dress may deviate from tradition, the Sussex royals do intend to honor what came before.

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