Meghan Markle Pays Homage to Colombian Designer in Sleeveless Two-Piece Set
The Duchess of Sussex has been honoring the past, present, and future while visiting the South American country.
![rince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Escuela Tambores de Cabildo during The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Colombia Visit on August 17, 2024 in Cartagena, Colombia](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rbmremNHAhAJSH4gH8oc7M-415-80.jpg)
On day three of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's high-profile trip to Colombia, Meghan Markle paid homage to a Colombian designer by wearing a breathtaking, sleeveless two-piece set.
According to Hello!, the Duchess wore a dress by Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz, reportedly "a favorite" of the Duchess, who has worn pieces by Ortiz in the past.
The deep ocean crop top featuring white horizontal stripes and thin shoulder straps included a bodice overlay that accentuated the matching hello sailor silk maxi skirt, especially as Markle toured Escuela Taller Tambores de Cabildo de la Boquilla, a drum school located in the northern city of Cartagena.
Video of the royal couple arriving, and of Markle wearing the Ortiz dress, surfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter, and as the pair were reportedly surrounded by a heavy security presence.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex during The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Colombia Visit on August 17, 2024 in Cartagena, Colombia.
According to Prince Harry and Markle's official website, the school is "dedicated to preserving cultural traditions and instilling pride among young students, offers a range of programs that go beyond drumming."
Markle wore another Ortiz masterpiece on day one of the couple's trip to the country, showcasing not only her fashion prowess but her diplomacy chops.
Meghan Markle wears a cutout Johanna Ortiz dress.
While taking in a performance at the National Center for the Arts in Bogotá, Markle wore a woven, cut-out midi dress by the Colombian designer. She paired the look with a stunning Cartier necklace—the same one she wore for her CBS Sunday Morning interview earlier this month.
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She also wore a few Cartier rings and a pair of Jimmy Choo sandal heels.
As Marie Claire previously reported, Markle has a history of paying "close attention to local designers" and then wearing pieces from those designers as a sign of respect to the country she is visiting and its culture.
For the uninitiated, Ortiz is one of the most popular designers to come out of Colombia. After launching the sustainability-driven label in 2003, the designer gained international fame after successfully landing several partnerships with global boutiques.
Still, the fashion designer chooses to operate her thriving business out of Colombia, her home country.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry meet with Invictus Games athletes during day two of their trip to Colombia.
In addition to paying homage to the country's past, present and future via Ortiz's work, Markle has also been honoring the late Princess Diana by carefully choosing the accessories she wears during the week-long trip.
While wearing a classic outfit formula consisting of a blazer and button-up over black pants and Chanel ballet flats, the Duchess of Sussex was seen wearing a pair of Princess Diana's butterfly earrings.
As Marie Claire previously reported, the late royal—who passed away in August 1997 after a horrific car crash in Paris—first wore the earrings back in 1986 on a state visit to Canada alongside then-Prince Charles.
Marle wore the earrings while visiting a group of kindergarten students, which was also, in a way, a subtle homage to her late mother-in-law. Diana, Princess of Wales, was famously a kindergarten teacher before becoming a member of the royal family.
Megan Markle's Colombia outfits are sure to continue to provide meaning as the royal couple continue their tour of the country.
Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.
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