The Duchess wore a piece by Room 502 for her engagement at Action Aid South Africa.
Above you see Meghan being welcomed by Nondumiso Nsibande, country director of ActionAid South Africa.
The organization is part of Action Aid International, a “global movement of people fighting for women’s rights, social justice and an end to poverty”. Meghan was given a very warm welcome when she arrived.
Action Aid also focuses on climate change and its disproportionate impact on women. More from Channel 24’s coverage.
…Meghan was welcomed by a group of women singing and ululating and two little girls who waited for her with a bouquet flowers and drawings they’d sketched themselves.
Emily Nash shared a video of Meghan being greeted.
Flowers, singing, drawings and a hug for Meghan at @AA_SouthAfrica #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica #sussexroyaltour pic.twitter.com/N9LUznUzb8
Action Aid — Emily Nash (@emynash) October 1, 2019
The looks on these little girls’ faces are precious. The young lady on the far right is Luyanda, age eight. 
From Victoria Murphy’s Town and Country story:
During the visit to ActionAid, the Duchess joined a conversation about the nature of violence against women and girls and the work being done to tackle it.
Another view. 
Channel 24 also reports the Duchess “…privately visited a classroom – a sign next to the door read “empowerment” – where an after school girls’ club usually meets. There, she was introduced to many girls between the ages of 12 and 16.”
From Sussex Royal Instagram, today’s post:
Now for what Meghan wore at her Action Aid engagement.
The Duchess was in a piece by a label we’ve not seen her wear before (at least, not that we’re aware of), Room 502. The brand is owned by Sophie Theallet and her husband, Steve Francoeur. Ms. Theallet owned her eponymous brand for years, and is known for her principles on inclusiveness, diversity and ethical manufacturing. Based in Montreal, the label was launched in 2018. From the Room 502 site:
ROOM 502 is a response to the current state of Fashion. Reconsidering the meaning of luxury today, we set about re-infusing the clothes we wear with meaning and value. Our vision of Ethical Fashion.
Meghan was in the Stephanie Imperial Shirt Dress ($455). 
Inspiration for the piece is explained on the site: “From Romy Schneider in the Late 60s, this revisited “incontournable” shirt-dress has been a staple, worn by everyone from countesses on vacation to the working woman uniform”. The 100% cotton dress has a fitted silhouette with a button front, short sleeves, oversized patch pockets, and a self-belt.
She wore her reliable Manolo Blahnik BB 105 pumps ($665) in black suede. 
Another familiar brand you’ll notice today is Pichulik. The Duchess chose the Labyrinth earrings ($120) from the South African jewelry designer. Meghan wore the designer’s Magi earrings yesterday for her visit to Victoria Yards.
Our thanks to the Mail Online’s Caroline Parr for her speedy ID of the dress as well as today’s earrings!
Another piece we saw Meghan wearing is her bracelet by Alemdara. It is the brand’s Handan Bracelet in 18ct yellow gold, with .12 carat white diamonds surrounding around a turquoise enamel eye (£775, roughly $952 at today’s exchange rates).
VIDEOS:
The Royal Family Channel’s coverage is roughly 2:20.
The Duchess of Sussex was greeted with flowers and a hug when she visited a charity in Johannesburg pic.twitter.com/M5B6a9FynK
— PA Media (@PA) October 1, 2019
We’ll leave this portion of the post with one more photo of the Duchess and 8-year-old Luyanda. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
UPDATE: The Duchess did a pool interview with British media after the Action Aid engagement.Here is the video version.
“we’re reuniting today, which i’m excited for. i’ve missed him so much.” –meghan gushing over harry and talking about archie is so adorable pic.twitter.com/lVIPq3wHQK
— meredith (@meghvnmarkle) October 1, 2019
If interested in reading the quotes, here is Victoria Murphy’s print piece for Town and Country.
“On my goodness, well, we’re doing well. I think the schedule—they have been very kind to me, because everything is based around Archie’s feed times. So it’s a full plate, but we’re making it work. It’s worth it,” Meghan said.
“Being able to be in Africa and South Africa—it’s my first time being in this country—has been really powerful,” she said.
“And Harry has continued on in a couple [of] other countries—we are reuniting today, which I can’t wait for, I miss him so much!—but I think for us it has been a really special trip, because you get to see when you’re focusing on the causes that are really important to us, you can see that the impact is good, and it feels meaningful.”
Below, a video from The HALO Trust shows the Duke’s visit to Angola and his walk through the minefield where his mother walked twenty-two years ago.
Prince Harry retraced his mother’s footsteps yesterday in Huambo, Angola, in an emotional and historic visit.#RoyalVisitAngola #landminefree2025 pic.twitter.com/SI3PsbNZtA
— The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) September 28, 2019
Victoria notes that Meghan spoke about gender-based violence and women’s empowerment.
She said: “It’s been very important to me for a long time to focus on women’s and girls’ rights, and especially their empowerment. So to be able to see this from afar, and then now see the work that’s being done on the ground—I think what’s really key is to focus on the work that needs to be done, but also how much incredible work is being done, and to be able to be here and help support those people who are really actively working to champion the rights of women and girls.”
Don’t miss this morning’s post: “Meghan Mixes Old and New for University of Johannesburg Visit” 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Also today, Sussex Royal Instagram has posted the accounts they are showcasing for the month of October, as they do the first of every month. This month’s theme is community.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
For those that may have missed it in yesterday’s post, be sure to enter the ✨GIVEAWAY ✨ on our What Meghan Wore Instagram account! Details below:
✨GIVEAWAY ✨ As the Royal Tour comes to an end, we’ve partnered with our friend Adina Reyter to give you a chance to win one of Meghan Markle’s favorite pieces of jewelry.
One lucky follower will win the Solid Pavé Teardrop necklace worn by the Duchess on multiple occasions, including in her official pregnancy announcement photo.
To enter – go to 
- Follow @adinareyter & @whatmeghanwore
- Like the post (see below)
- Tag a friend in the comments (extra tags = extra chances to win)
All entries must be submitted by Sunday, October 6th by 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be announced on Monday, October 7th on Instagram.
Are you following us on Instagram?! Our latest What Meghan Wore Instagram posts are below:
LINKAGE:
- The Action Aid International site is here; the group’s Facebook page is here; the Action Aid South Africa site is here; its Twitter feed is here
- Here are links to Action Aid in other countries: the UK site is here; USA site is here; Australia’s site is here
- Channel 24‘s story is here; The Telegraph’s coverage is here; IOL‘s piece is here
- A PopSugar gallery is here; Hello‘s fashion piece is here; the Fug Girl’s coverage is here
Nice to see her in some color for a change! She looks good in olive/green. I will admit so many of her outfits blended together on this tour because she wore a lot of shirt/trenchdresses but I can see why did she did that for this tour specifically.
Love the colour and style but it’s a tad too tight around the bust and arm area.Her hair needs to be styled back it’s too flowing for an official event!
I love the idea of ethical clothing brands, and it is so nice to see Meghan championing these brands! I love the green color, and Meghan looks lovely in it. She really glows in olive green! However, I feel the dress is just a *smidge* too tight, and a little too short when she bends or sits. It seems to pull in several pictures, so maybe going up a size would have been a good choice.
Love the shirt dress style, Meghan wears it well and she makes it look casual yet dressy… but what exactly is ethical fashion? and how is it $455 for a shirt dress that is ethically made? Honestly asking because I just don’t know.
Hi Meghan, This is a very good question. One reason sustainable, ethically made clothing is more expensive is because it’s produced in smaller quantities (such as made to order pieces) rather than mass-produced. There are a number of other factors as well. You can read more about it in this article from Bustle – https://www.bustle.com/p/what-is-sustainable-fashion-why-is-it-so-expensive-heres-what-experts-have-to-say-79636. Hope this answers your question. Thanks, Susan C
The Duchess looks lovely appropriately dressed for occasion. Love the colour.
I do like this color on her. Much better than the tan from the last dress. She’s been wearing many similar styles on this tour – belted dresses so it’s easy to compare. I feel she does better with a figure skimming outline like the blue dress from the market. This one is just a bit small across the bust.
I think her hair is just a bit too long. The general style is nice but the length and darker color take away from her face I feel.
I like the color on her, the cut (although better than the trench-dress earlier) looked better on the model.
I remain not a fan of the open hair on professional outings- too juvenile IMO for anyone beyond their twenties…
I really like this color on her skin, looks very pretty. Hair and makeup on point again. I would’ve kept the Weitzman nude heels on with this dress just to keep it in the same ‘feel’.
I love the olive shirt dress. Think it fits well and has some give across the design that makes Meg look super stylish for the event. Love the heels as well. As a lover of high heels myself I have always felt they give an outfit some style and elegance especially when it is not a super casual affair. I am a whole lot older than Meghan but still love my heels for the right event.
Overall, the majority of the outfits have looked really nice on her. They have been at reasonable price points and still looked great on her (favs were the pantsuit and the dress to visit Archbishlop Tutu). I hope the trend continues as there have been a number of occasions in the past where visits to some of her charitable causes where I thought the cost of her ensembles were so high that it really portrayed an ‘out of touch’ vibe. This is a shame as she really is trying to be supportive to her causes. Today, I agree with other posters that for the university visit a jacket would have made her outfit more polished. Lots of professionals/administrators and their outfits were typical of what you would expect.
Always exciting to discover a new label and I have to hand it to Meghan sourcing one of the best constructed shirtdresses I’ve ever seen from Room 502. The fabric looks wonderfully comfortable and pliable and gives a whole casual vibe, while the first-rate tailoring quietly exerts discipline. The yoke top with gathered bodice underneath is one of the most comfortable styles for a shirtdress as it avoids unsightly stretching of fabric in movement, and this one has been so beautifully done with the very close gathering at the shoulder.
This shade of olive is one of the best on Meghan, and I like the contrast front buttons, kept low-key by being small. The treatment of the belt is fascinating too, it’s most thoughtful to have two ends fastened and anchored into the side seam, while the belt detail is carried through round the back via a waist insert. This not only avoids unsightly movement of the belt, but prevents such a fine cotton being reduced to a string-like eyesore. The fine cotton also comes into its own in making such generous patch pockets come close to disappearing by lying so elegantly flat.
The Pichulik earrings are absolutely to die for, so original with their use of coiled cord, and so perfectly showcased against such a classic dress. Hair continues to look thick and glossy and the black Blahniks work a treat here. An all-round win for me.
Hey, I just wanted to say that in my previous comment that I know this is a fashion site and I’m not coming down on it by any means. But I really do appreciate What Meghan Wore being more than just about clothes. Forget what I said about the commenters regarding fashion. I got carried away.
I love reading about the different community organizations that Meghan is bringing attention to during this visit. I wish there were more reports like this one that provided details to the stories of these groups. Thank you. Wish comments were less about weight and fashion as well and more on he work. But to each their own.
Lovely color on her and the fabric is glorious. It looks cool and comfy. I’m having to accept those tie belts (sigh) and on this one I wish she’d tied it more to the side like the model — it looks lovely in that photo. Pretty and crisp. Wonderful cause!
Love the earrings! They look fun but not overwhelming either. I thought the ones yesterday were maybe a tad too big.
As for the dress, I like it but I also think it looks very similar to the dress she wore in the Skype as well as one she wore earlier in the trip to the mosque. I realize the lengths are different but very similar otherwise. I agree with the others that this one is unfortunately a bit too tight as well. Straight skirts can be a bit tricky and sometimes it’s safer to just size up.
I do love that Meghan wore her hair down for both events today.
I think the shirt dress is quickly becoming the ‘coat dress’ for Meghan!
The olive green is one of my favourite shades on Meghan. It’s absolutely the best colour for her. The shirt dress is ok.
Olive looks so good on just about everyone and I really like it on the DoS. I love this dress! I might actually get it for myself! I also loved watching her interact with the girls. She’s in her element.
Just like many other women, Meghan is dealing with BAB – Body After Baby. Her body has changed and clothes just don’t fit the same. More attention could be given to tailoring for a good fit with more ease being given in the bust and stomach areas. Meghan looks healthy and fit, just different. Dress for the body you have.
I like this look, the colour and the style. It seems that shirt dresses suit Meghan more than the trench dresses. This outfit is most appropriate for the occasion. Not sure about the earrings, although I know they are a nod to South Africa. The earrings and bracelet are certainly not a match, but perhaps their distance apart makes is okay.
It’s a nice dress–this color family is always so fetching on her–but maybe a just a skotch too small?
She really does seem to be making an effort to downplay the fashion on this trip. She’s looked lovely and appropriate at every event, but there’s been very little that’s really eye-catching, apart from the locally made earrings. I suppose that makes things a little dull for us royal fashion-watchers, but I do appreciate the message it’s sending–that as much as we may enjoy the fashion, it’s not what these diplomatic tours are about.
If this dress was any bigger it would look saggy. Have a close look, it is neither tight or bunching. Think the dress looks fab.
quick admin edit
In some of the pictures, it looks to me like it’s pulling a bit across the bust and hips. I mean–a *bit*; it’s not indecent or anything. It just looks a little uncomfortable to me. I always think that dresses that button all the way down need a bit more ease. YMMV.