Meghan Markle Was the 'Most Powerful Dresser' on Earth This Year. See Why
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Over a year into her reign as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle has scored another title: Most Powerful Dresser of 2019.
That's according to Lyst, a fashion search engine used by 70 million shoppers annually. Earlier this week, Lyst released a ranking of the top power dressers, or "celebrities whose personal style choices drove the biggest spikes in searches, sales, news coverage and social media mentions."
Markle took first place, beating out people like actor Timothée Chalamet, singer Billie Eilish and rapper Cardi B.
Markle's wardrobe from the past 12 months inspired an average 216% jump in people searching for lookalike clothing items. Individual pieces, like the white and blue Club Monaco dress she wore to meet South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, drew even more interest. Her appearance in that dress caused a 570% surge, according to Lyst.
This won't come as a surprise to royal watchers familiar with the so-called "Markle effect." Basically, the second the duchess is photographed in an outfit, the clothes go viral, selling out immediately and making headlines in the process. In 2018, Brand Finance predicted fans trying to copy Markle's clothes would bring a $210 million boost to the British economy.
"If she wears it, it turns to gold," Christine Ross, who runs the blog Meghan’s Mirror, told Reuters.
There are dozens of examples that cement Markle's powerful dresser status. The $250 Joseph sweater Markle wore for a gender equality talk? Sold out. The $770 Strathberry purse she carried at her first royal event? Sold out. The $60 Madewell hat she threw on for a polo match? You guessed it — sold out.
Luckily, you don't need a $500,000 clothing budget to copy Markle's ensembles. Dupes abound online for all of her most popular outfits.
Instead of splurging on the purple Aritzia gown she donned for the One Young World Summit last month, Glamour found a lookalike dress at Eloquii for $109.
The white Grace Wales Bonner dress Markle wore for her first photocall with baby Archie was custom-made, but People discovered an ASOS dupe for $43.
And rather than the Oscar de la Renta printed chiffon dress she debuted in February, Hello! surfaced a Warehouse version for $59.
Those are some powerfully good deals.
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