Meghan Markle’s ‘strategic choice’ to evoke old school glamour

Meghan has previously disclosed that she has a curious body hang-up about her short torso, which she conceals with various styling tricks.

The boat neckline – a neckline running horizontally across the collarbone – has been nailed by the Duchess, who reportedly uses it to create the illusion of a longer neck.  

Style experts, namely Fashion expert Jules Beth, have previously noted that the cut tends to lengthen the torso upwards instead of downwards.

This in turn creates the illusion of a longer upper body. The expert noted: “Meghan Markle is a short-torso celebrity with a style I love! She does a great job of playing with proportions using colours and contrast that work so well with her body.”

The Duchess’s wedding dress, designed by Clare Waight Kelle, was a prime example of a boat neckline creating a good amount of space and length in the neck, noted Beth.

“You can’t always lengthen your torso at the bottom,” explained the stylist. “Sometimes you have to lengthen it at the top.”

Beth also noted that another styling trick of Markle’s is to elongate the upper part of her body is the halterneck top.  

The neckline has also been known to work beautifully on the Duchess, as she famously donned the style during her wedding reception.

The Stella McCartney number, which featured a flowing skirt and high halterneck top, created appealing proportions in the body.