Meghan Markle cut a striking figure on Saturday night in an electric blue Christopher John Rogers gown as she and Prince Harry collected an NAACP Image Award for public service.
The NAACP – the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People – works to eradicate racial injustice in the United States. On the evening, both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made nods to their efforts through carefully selected sartorial choices.
Rogers is the New York-based Black designer best known for dressing Kamala Harris in a vibrant purple overcoat and matching dress for the Presidential inauguration. He’s also a favourite of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s. For this weekend’s ceremony, he made Markle a flowing dress complete with leg slit and a contrast, light blue sash.
“It’s inspiring to think about the legacy surrounding the Image Awards, which began shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed into law,” Markle said, accepting the award. “Today, we can continue that legacy by re-establishing federal voting protections in our country.” She went on to note influential legacy of George Floyd.
Harry dressed up following Markle’s lead wearing a sharp tailored tuxedo by Ozwald Boateng, the first Black tailor on London’s Savile Row who last week hosted a celebration of Black excellence to end London Fashion Week.
"I think it’s safe to say that I come from a very different background than my incredible wife. Yet our lives were brought together for a reason. We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to confront injustice, and a belief that the most often overlooked are the most important to listen to,” he said on stage.
Together, the LA-based couple took time to call upon the world to lend their support to the people of Ukraine "who urgently need our continued support as a global community,” in the face of war.
