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Now that's what you call a showstopper!
The Duchess of Sussex's iconic Giorgio Armani dress has been crowned dress of the year for 2021 and is due to go on display at the Fashion Museum in Bath, England.
A version of the black silk Georgette dress featuring an appliquéd white lotus flower is headlining the exhibition at the museum titled A History of Fashion in 100 Objects.
Meghan (40) wore the frock with a matching black belt from the Armani Spring/Summer Cruise Collection during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March that delved into her and husband Prince Harry's decision to quit the British royal family.
While the tell-all interview, which was watched globally by more than 60 million viewers across 70 countries, brought many shocking revelations to light, the outfit worn by the duchess, who was pregnant at the time with daughter Lilibet (now 8 months), also spoke volumes.
Each year the Fashion Museum Bath invites a big name in the industry to choose an “outfit that encapsulates the prevailing mood of fashion, represents the past year and captures the imagination”, according to its site.
The dress represents "rebirth, self-regeneration and spiritual enlightenment, and its ability to flourish despite seemingly challenging conditions”.
This is also why stylist Ibrahim Kamara and designer Gareth Wrighton, whose Dress of Hope was one of the winners in 2020, decided Meghan's dress deserved to win the award.
“In today’s hyper-stylised pop culture, the dress of the year now has the potential to also be 'meme of the year,'” they said in a joint statement.
“And we both latched upon Meghan and Harry’s now-iconic interview with Oprah as the definitive anti-establishment moment that will forever endure in the British collective consciousness.”
READ MORE | Deafening silence from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid queen’s jubilee celebrations
The Armani dress was not only worn to “showcase a divine pregnancy” but also “framed the duchess in black against the bountiful landscaping of Tyler Perry’s Hollywood garden,” according to the fashion gurus.
While Meghan’s look will forever be associated with a globally renowned television moment it’s “also firmly ingrained in our pop-culture psyche,” they added.
“This is a fabulous addition to the Fashion Museum collection. There are moments in history that are all about the dress and Meghan’s interview with Oprah was just such an occasion,” said Rosemary Harden, manager at the museum.
The dress is still on sale in the US for $4 700 (R70 500).
SOURCES: METRO, JUST JARED, HELLO! , FASHION MUSEUM.CO.UK
