Meghan Markle broke one of the cardinal rules of wedding guest dressing today as she donned a black outfit for close friend Misha Nonoo’s wedding.
The Duchess of Sussex, 38, was seen wearing a $14,000 black puff-sleeve embroidered tulle gown black gown by Valentino as she arrived at the Villa Aurelia alongside Prince Harry, 35, for their friend’s wedding this evening.
The royal wore her dark hair pinned up in a low chiffon bun with loose tendrils curling around her chin, revealing glittering gold earrings.
Stylist Lucas Armitage told FEMAIL that Meghan’s choice to wear black was ‘shocking’, revealing: ‘Wedding guests usually shun black in favour of a more complimentary colour to pair with white… Meghan isn’t one for playing by etiquette as we well know but even for her this is fairly shocking.’
Meghan Markle, 38, broke away from tradition and donned black to close friend Misha Nonoo’s wedding, a move stylist Lucas Armitage branded as ‘fairly shocking’
Meghan donned a sheer top with ballooning three quarter length sleeves over a spaghetti strap black gown for the occasion
The royal’s black sheer top of her floor length dress appeared to feature scalloped diamante detailing
The Valentino dress is completely sheer, and features puffed three-quarter sleeves and spiraling embroidery (pictured above)
Misha is a close friend of both Prince Harry and Meghan and is rumoured to have set the pair up.
The Duke and Duchess beamed as they arrived at the event in Rome today, grinning at other guests as they entered the venue.
While Prince Harry donned a smart black tuxedo, Meghan appeared to be wearing a sheer black top over a spaghetti strap black gown.
The gown, by Italian designer Valentino, features puffed three-quarter sleeves and spiraling embroidery.
Meghan’s dress appeared to feature sheer ruffle detailing with small diamantes lining the scalloped top
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex beamed as they arrived at the decadent wedding venue in Rome earlier today
The Duchess was seen beaming as she entered the wedding venue in her floor length black gown
While the Valentino dress is completely sheer, Meghan appeared to have worn a black slip underneath the gown.
The sheer top featured ballooning three-quarter length sleeves, and appeared to feature some scallop and diamente detailing across the back.
The Duchess pinned her dark hair into a chiffon, with two tendrils left curling around her chin, revealing her large gold stud earrings which appeared to look like wings.
She carried a small red clutch bag,
The Duchess turned to walk into the wedding venue, revealing the delicate detailing on the back of her gown
The royal’s choice of black to a wedding was deemed ‘shocking’ by stylist Lucas Armitage, who revealed it wasn’t traditionally chosen as it would be seen to clash with the bride’s white gown.
He said: ‘Wedding guests usually shun black in favour of a more complimentary colour to pair with white… Meghan isn’t one for playing by etiquette as we well know but even for her this is fairly shocking.’
Despite suggesting it was a controversial choice, he said that the Duchess looked particularly ‘on trend’ in the outfit.
The Duchess of Sussex swept her hair back into a neat bun revealing glittering gold stud earrings
Prince Harry, 25, appeared overjoyed to be attending the wedding for Misha, who is rumoured to have been the matchmaker between he and Meghan
He explained: ‘Black sheer garments have been seen all over catwalk for the season ahead so Meghan is riding the crest of the trend wave early.
‘The slightly OTT jewellery is also tapping into the eclectic accessory trend we are seeing coming through.
‘Proving she isn’t a slave to fashion Meghan perfectly distils the catwalk into her own brand of on trend chic.’
The outfit is reminiscent of several worn by the Duchess of Sussex, and may be a nod to her engagement photoshoot with Prince Harry, in which she wowed in a one-of-a-kind sheer couture dress worth a whopping £56,000.
Misha Nonoo, who is rumoured to have been the person to introduce Prince Harry and Meghan, is set to marry her partner Mikey Hess in an opulent sunset ceremony (pictured at the royal wedding last year)
And more recently she donned a stunning £3,454 mid-length black gown by designer Jason Wu for the European premiere of the Lion King, which featured a sheer panel across the top of the bodice and sleeves.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in the Italian capital on Thursday to attend the nuptials of designer friend, who is rumoured to have set-up the royals’ first blind date in July 2016.
US-based fashion designer Misha, 31, is set to marry her boyfriend Mikey, 33, at a star-studded event in Rome later today.
Meghan and Misha have been friends for years, with the clothing designer rumoured to have been the one to introduce the royal couple
She arrived at the venue shortly before Prince Harry and Meghan, riding in a golf buggy through the gates of the villa alongside close friend Princess Eugenie.
Around 200 guests wearing black tie or gowns will attend the grand property in the west of Roman property close to the Vatican, which has a giant terrace, ball room and dining room served with Michelin-star quality food from its kitchen.
The Villa Aurelia, one of the most prestigious wedding venues in all of Italy, is available for rent for around £20,000 per day not including food, wine or flowers.