Meghan Markle’s Nails At The British Fashion Awards Broke A Royal Beauty Rule
If you're not familiar with the quite lengthy list of fashion rules that British royals are encouraged to abide by, then you're probably wondering why Meghan Markle's nail polish at the British Fashion Awards has made headlines this morning, at least on websites that cover beauty and style. At first, I thought Markle simply must've gotten a manicure so excellent that it couldn't be overlooked but upon reading further, I discovered that the dark hue was actually somewhat of a faux pas (or so says tradition).
Markle attended the event last night as a surprise guest in order to present a very important award to a dear friend. Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of Givenchy and designer of Markle's famed wedding gown, won the award for Best British Designer in the womenswear category and in light of their sartorial history, it made sense that the Duchess of Sussex would do the honors of presenting her with the accolade.
"I feel especially proud to announce tonight's winner who, yes, is a British designer leading on the global stage with vision and creativity, but also with incredible kindness, which is why when I met her for the first time 11 months ago, I knew that we'd be working very closely together," Markle emotively said. "The winner this evening is Clare Waight Keller."
For the occasion, Markle wore a custom Givenchy dress (because, of course) featuring an asymmetrical one shoulder neckline and ground-grazing hemline. She accessorized the look with three gold bangles and small, simple earrings.
Her beauty looks was equally as sleek and included a slicked-back low bun, natural looking makeup and, yes, the much buzzed about manicure, which saw her nails painted in a deep burgundy-black hue. So, what's so special about them, you ask?
According to OK! Magazine (meaning take this with a flexible seriousness), wearing no nail polish or neutral-hued polish is "simply royal etiquette, as fake nails or coloured nail polish is deemed vulgar by the royal family." Of course, Kate Middleton and Princess Diana have both been spotted with nails in various shades of scarlet or berry on rare occasions but black is still relatively uncharted territory for the family. That is, until now.
OK! also reported that Queen Elizabeth sticks to one color in particular, Essie's Ballet Slippers, when she does want to add a hint of tint to her nails. While it's a super light shade of pink and therefore reads as more of a neutral than it does a "color" in this sense, it still proves that royal rules can be bent, if not broken.
Markle herself is no stranger to bending some of the other royal rules. Her messy bun has made headlines on numerous occasions, she's attended an official event in a denim dress, she's worn a crossbody bag, and committed numerous other sartorial acts that I see as dangerously good.
I personally can't wait to try out the berry-black shade Markle rocked last night, especially seeing as it offsets an all-black look (my uniform) pretty perfectly. Rebel on, Meghan.
