Meghan Markle’s costume designer is opening up how he knows the royal baby news!
In a press release, Theia’s creative director, Don O’Neill, shared the feeling of dressing up for Markle – he “has been a source of inspiration for a long time” – including the necessary last minute adjustments. On the 10th day of her Australian Royal Tour, Markle, wearing the stunning ivory dress, attended the reception and dinner hosted by King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipa’u.
“When her stylist reached out and asked if I could make a dress for her Australian news tour, I stopped everything we did – my wedding show was only a week away – and went immediately His Royal Highness dress,” O’Neill talks about the ivory gauze dress, with a jewel collar, side slits and flanged shoulders, hand-embroidered crystals and micro-glass beads. Markle paired the bride’s styling with a black clutch and shoes, and the ring that her husband gave her after the wedding. This is a beautiful aquamarine that belongs to his late mother, Princess Diana.
“We finished the dress in two days, shipped it out and received confirmation from the Duchess like it, but one thing to note,” O’Neill continued. “We need to recreate it with additional gap subsidies.”
Although O’Neill can easily infer what it means, he knows to keep exciting news confidential.
“We immediately knew why this extra subsidy was needed, but mom was the word, and my wedding show was less than a week, and all the hands appeared on the deck again,” O’Neill recalls. “We remade the dress and I had to go to Broadway on Friday night to catch the UPS truck, which took only two minutes to complete!”
O’Neill went on to say that he was “too excited” about the dress of the Duchess of Sussex, calling the experience “exciting whirlwind cooperation.”
“Her classic, relaxed and chic style plus all the excitement of her wedding earlier this year inspired the 2019 Spring/Summer Bridal Collection that I showed in April,” O’Neill said. “…His Royal Highness is a truly beautiful and inspiring woman who shines in this world. We are truly honored at Theia to be part of the Royal Australian Tour, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand.”
