Yesterday The Duchess of Sussex took time out to visit with some of the women at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Meghan discussed issues affecting women in the community with the group over tea.
More about the Centre below —
Founded in 1978, DEWC is one of the few safe spaces within the Downtown Eastside exclusively for self-identified women and their children. High levels of violence, homelessness, addictions and poverty characterize the Downtown Eastside community. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, injustice and injury.
The Centre provides support to women, children and seniors as well as providing a shelter from conditions of poverty and violence.
Basic necessities are also provided including hot meals, free clothing, toiletries, secure showers, phones and computers access.
If you’re interested in donating to the DEWC you can visit their site here.
UPDATE 16 Jan 2020: While in Vancouver, the Duchess also visited Justice for Girls, a feminist climate change group set up in response to local, national, and international calls for “girl only” programs and services acknowledging and addressing the specific needs and vulnerabilities of girls in relation to homelessness, poverty, and violence.
More from the group’s site —
We locate our work within the overall project of women’s equality. We believe it is necessary to eliminate violence and poverty in young women’s lives in order to bring about equality. Recognizing and addressing the intersecting/interlocking forms of oppression that young women face is fundamental to our work toward ending violence against girls and young women.
During Meghan’s visit, the group discussed the group’s efforts, the rights of Indigenous peoples as well as the importance of a holistic approach to social justice, and the power of young women’s leadership.
If interested in donating to Justice for Girls you can learn more here.
A look at what Meghan wore for her cold snowy visit to Vancouver.
Meghan wore her The Row cable-knit swing sweater in antique white, $405 (no longer available).
Meghan was first spotted wearing the sweater as her character Rachel Zane in the Suits episode entitled “Bad Faith”, September 19, 2013.
We’re thinking Meghan may have also worn her DL1961 denim jeans, the Emma Power Legging Skinny Jeans in the Albany wash, $168.
Meghan also wore a pair of Le Chameau ‘Jameson’ quilted leather boots in caramel, £375 (UK delivery only). The boots are also available at the UK online store Outdoor and Country, $406, with shipping to the US.
UPDATE 15 Jan 2020: It’s possible that Meghan was wearing her zodiac pendant from suetables, a Canadian based brand. It could be the Shirley horoscope pendant in 10k gold, $79, with the Virgo zodiac sign for Harry. The other charm she owns from the brand is their Vanessa charm in 10k gold, $159, with the Taurus zodiac sign for Archie although that one was on a much shorter chain.
The Duchess first wore the suetables charms when the couple surprised military families with a visit in Windsor back in November 2019.
UPDATE 16 Jan 2020: Meghan’s second necklace is a gift from Justice for Girls. The Douglas Reynold Gallery shared the information this afternoon on social media. It is an 18k yellow gold killer whale tail pendant with a solitary diamond by artist Hollie Bartlett, who personally selected the pendant for the Duchess.
More about the pendant from the Douglas Reynolds Gallery site —
Killer Whales are widely considered clan ancestors. Living in human form in undersea villages, killer whales are often thought to be the reincarnations of great chiefs and are associated with wealth, unity and travel. Some prominent characteristic traits of Killer Whale are a rounded snout, blowhole, a dorsal fin, pectoral fins and a tail.
From the Douglas Reynolds Gallery Facebook page —
Meghan’s water bottle seen sitting on the table in front of her is from S’well. It is the 17 ounce Teakwood bottle, $35.
There were several additional photos of Meghan leaving on a seaplane which we were unable to obtain. Below is a look at some of the additional items the Duchess wore.
Meghan was wearing her Barbour ‘Epler’ Faux Fur Trim Waterproof Parka in Seaweed Green. The coat is no longer available.
We first saw her wearing the coat with a pair of Coach ‘Natale’ boots in February and again in March 2017 while out in Toronto. The boots are no longer available. A great MatchMegStyle of the boots is available – the Coach ‘Brynn’ riding boots in black leather, $197.
The Duchess carried her Cuyana Classic Structured Leather Tote in black, $195. We first spotted her with the tote in July 2019 at Wimbledon.
Meghan with the tote leaving Wimbledon, July 2019.
She also wore what we think might be a scarf from Everlane, The Wool-Cashmere Blanket Scarf, $150.
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UPDATE 15 Jan 2020: In other news, today The Duke of Sussex announced that the 2022 Invictus Games will be held in Düsseldorf, German.
Invictus Games The Hague 2020 will take place in early May with the addition of two new countries, Belgium and the Republic of Korea.
You can read the full announcement from Prince Harry here.
We’ll update the post with further information and images should they become available to us.
Shannon says
A really cute and cosy outfit
Larissa says
This is a really great outfit for Meghan. She looks absolutely in her element, and the loose sweater is balanced out nicely by the skinny jeans. The colour also makes for a great backdrop for those pendants. And I absolutely love the boots! Never knew Le Chameau made something so elegant. Must be perfect for Vancouver weather.
I must say, this post also made me sad though… I loved the extensive look on Meghan’s fashion, but it’s a bummer that there is less information on the events themselves available. I hope this was an anomaly because the Sussexes haven’t officially moved yet and the events were unannounced; I do worry that with their new strict media policy we will miss out on a lot of the little gems shared by royal reporters on Twitter. Those were often the source of some great stories.
Andrea H says
I’m curious. With the recent announcement that Harry Windsor and Megan Markle are stepping back from royal duties and their HRH titles no longer in place, will this lovely blog continue to document her outfits and her attendance at events. I hope my question does not appear precipitous, but want to ask in light of recent events.
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi, Andrea, and thanks for commenting! In answer to your question, we do plan to continue covering Meghan’s style and her charitable work.?
Happylady says
This site manages to combine both actual information about the places Meghan visits and why, as well as fashion information. BOTH are of interest to me. I think Meghan takes time to research these organizations and their purpose. Kudos to her.
Casshew says
Oh, I thought it was a surprise visit!? I guess not if they had that pendant gift chosen for Meghan.
Question about the cuyana tote – it does not look black, looks all beat up and worn? (different than tennis day)
Last question – are those diamond solitaire earrings she is wearing?
Very nice look today, so casual to put people at ease.
GwenP says
I *think* the earrings are these, from Emily Mortimer. She’s definitely worn them before and another story about this visit says these are the ones, though we might want verification:
https://www.emilymortimer.co.uk/products/hera-gold-and-diamond-studs
LadyLeah says
Thank you for being my happy Meghan place! I’m loving the new format, it’s so fresh and inviting.
Beautiful work by a beautiful person. I appreciate that she’s doing good works even while negativity swirls around the Sussexes. Things will settle, goodness shines through in the end.
On a sartorial note, a comfy and cute outfit and I found the necklace update to be fascinating. Such unusual and meaningful pendants.
Donna says
What a wonderful job focusing on the fashion, what with all the hoopla going on. I love the whale tail necklace!
Shannon says
Love these updates, thank you! Wondering if the second necklace is a whale’s tale? That would be appropriate for the region.
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Shannon, we had updated the post this afternoon with new information on the necklace. It’s a whale tail by a local artist and was given to Meghan as a gift. Thanks, SC
Kerri says
How do you find out what brands she’s wearing and so quickly? Do you get commission for promoting the brands?
WhatMeghanWore says
Kerri – in this case, Meghan wore a sweater we’ve seen before as well as the coat. The round pendant necklace looked familiar and we did say “it’s possible she’s wearing” which isn’t a confirmed ID. It’s easy to notice or spot an item she’s worn before if you really “KNOW” her wardrobe. If you all saw the database I have of every article of clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. your heads would spin. LOL! We also have access to hi res images from our photo agencies from which we purchase licensed photos. Sometimes we will spend a bit of time searching through royal photographer’s images until we are able to see a label, recognize a marking or design of a piece in order to ID it.
In the case of a new item – for example her Le Chameau boots – it’s being familiar with the brand itself, taking a guess when an item looks familiar, Googling items, searching on store sites, the list goes on. Plus we also have a group of excellent “eagle eye” individuals that spot items and find them out on social media. In the past, Meghan’s staff or the Palace would tell reporters the designer or labels she is wearing for an engagement. The same applies to identifying Kate’s extensive closet as well. Hope this helps. Thanks, SC
Lori says
I really enjoy the more casual outfits Meghan wears than the formal gown or outfits she wears in the presence of the royal family.
It looks like she’s more comfortable and in her element. There seems to be less negative comments with these outfits… Or maybe it’s just my own observation 🙂
Really like her sweater, it looks super comfy – could she really have kept it from her time on Suit?
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Lori, most likely Meghan kept the sweater from her Suits days. Again, some actors/actress are able to take wardrobe pieces as it may be written in their contract or the shows and movies allow them to take pieces once filming has commenced. For example, Reese Witherspoon revealed recently that she kept her entire collection of shoes from Legally Blonde as it was written into her contract. Hope this helps. Susan C.
Bonnie says
Lori, I think the reason you perceive that there are fewer negative comments when Meghan wears casual clothes, is because there are far fewer things to comment about, far fewer areas to make mistakes. Jeans are jeans, sweaters or shirts are just that…although someone might have a preference to the colour or style. With more formal wear one can critique the length, whether the hat is a good match, if the shoes are the right choice, if the purse coordinates, if the jewellery is too much or too little, if the coat and dress work together. The more simple the outfit, the less there is to say about it.
***Susan there is a glitch in your new site. When I try to post, it says, “You have entered an incorrect email address” I tried entering another email account that I have and the same thing happened. It will eventually send, but I had to enter the address seven times to get it to do so. Perhaps others are having this problem, but you don’t know because their message is not being sent and received.
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Bonnie,
We tested the “post a comment” ourselves and it seems to be working fine on our end. I would try clearing history, closing out your browser and opening it again and see if that corrects the issue for you. thanks, Susan C
Bonnie says
Okay, let’s see if this works! Nope, I cleared my History and shut down the browser, even shut down the computer. Comments are not sending unless I erase and re-enter the email address many times. I never had trouble sending before with your former site and I never have trouble with your WKW site.
WhatMeghanWore says
Bonnie – what browser are you using? Chrome or something else? We haven’t had anyone else mention issues. I tested it from another browser and it works for me. Sorry this has been happening for you. I’ll let our developers know of a potential bug. Thanks, Susan C
Dale says
So glad you are continuing this site. It is a voice of sanity in a mad media world.
Any chance the site re-do might include a “Like” or heart emoji (a la Insta) for those of us who want to quickly weigh in on someone else’s comment?
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Dale – we will look into it! – SC
Ashly says
I love this and Meghan looks completely in her element. I wish she’d bring back The Tig!!!!!!
Ava says
Meghan looks happy
I hope she brand everything she wears for all of us to purchase!!
Susa says
Wow! Doesn’t she look great! So much better than we’ve seen her look in a long time! The time in Canada ha done wonders for Meghan.
Maureen Perkins says
This does feel like a safe place to read about Meghan – in contrast to the misinformation and wild guessing (and worse) going on elsewhere. And the new layout is really good – it chimes well with the changed circumstances but remains orderly and businesslike. Thank you Susan.
WhatMeghanWore says
Thank you for your kind words Maureen. We are still working out the kinks with the new site template and this will take a little bit. We appreciate everyone’s feedback! – Susan C.
Lindsay says
Awww yay! So happy for an appearance by the lovely DoS, and such a fantastic cause. She looks cozy and casual, and this outfit is something I would wear (love the coat, looks so warm and stylish at the same time!).
Ava Pittman says
This is a great casual ensemble. Really like the jacket, terrific for the snow/cold weather. The boots are divine, just love them. The cashmere scarf was the perfect finishing touch,
Allison Esposito says
The new format is beautiful and very user friendly! I wonder if the necklace will be identified?
WhatMeghanWore says
Allison – it’s possible Meghan is wearing the zodiac necklace from the shop Suetables which she was seen wearing when they were visiting with the army families before the holidays. https://whatmeghanwore.net/the-duke-and-duchess-surprise-local-military-families-in-windsor/ – thanks, Susan C.
Dawn C says
I love LOVE this outfit. I’m not into dresses and all of the fancy stuff, though I get why that has to be worn on occasion. I much prefer to see Meghan in ‘normal’ clothes that I can see myself wearing. She looks happy and relaxed here and I’m glad she has been able to get back to what she seems to live doing and that is helping to bring awareness to causes that mean something to her. Encouraging these women was probably as cathartic for her as it was for them. Girl has been living in a tinder box ready to explode for the last few years. Mental health is no joke, I live with managed depression and anxiety, which can sometimes still be difficult with a good support system. What she has been through…. I can’t even imagine. None of us can.
GwenP says
Yes! When I first saw some photos of this trip on other sites, I thought: that has got to be faux fur. I love these rewears, the matching of style to the occasion, and her pro-environment choices.
This Centre is a wonderful place to support. The Duchess is a real force for good. I’m glad she seems happy and is focusing on what matters to her.
And the new site looks terrific!
JackieG says
I just realized that the post on the sweater said no longer available ?
JackieG says
I love this outfit! I wonder if that sweater is still available? Back to basics for the Duchess I see. I am glad the Duchess is going on with life and continuing her work! God bless you Duchess Meghan, Harry and Archie. Much love and respect from the Commonwealth!
PS …I love the new format of the site!
Ulku says
With all the chaos and information coming in from a thousand sources, THIS is my favorite place to be. Thank you for being here and for your posts.
I’m glad Meghan continued working straight away. She looks happy and I’m happy for her. In terms of her attire, it seems that she wore the Canada items in her wardrobe, maybe the ones that were at hand. I always liked her look in her former photos in this parka, coming or going to yoga and it still looks very good. What a great investment that parka has been.