
Oprah Winfrey, a surprise invitee to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding, almost broke a major wedding taboo. She realised that the beige dress she had initially planned to wear would look white in photographs, and so, with less than 24 hours before the wedding, she was forced to change her outfit. Luckily, she was able to get a new dress designed and created for her overnight by Stella McCartney's team.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for change | Oprah's original dress was beige and would have looked white in photographs, which is considered inappropriate for a wedding guest. |
| Timing of change | The change was made less than 24 hours before the wedding. |
| Designer of new dress | Stella McCartney |
| Colour of new dress | Pale/light pink |
| Designer of hat | Philip Treacy |
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What You'll Learn

Oprah's dress was too white
Oprah Winfrey narrowly avoided a wedding fashion disaster at the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The media mogul and surprise invitee had originally planned to wear a beige dress, but she realized the day before the wedding that the dress would appear too white in photographs. This would have been a major wedding "faux pas" as it is well-known that only the bride should wear white.
In an Instagram post, Oprah revealed that she had a "wardrobe malfunction" and wanted to avoid upstaging the bride. She wrote that her original dress "would photograph too 'white'" and that her team "did this overnight". She also revealed that she already had the right accessories ready, including a hat by famed milliner Philip Treacy, which she had owned since 2005 and simply needed to be refreshed with new feathers.
Luckily for Oprah, she had access to the world's best design teams, and the team at Stella McCartney was able to create a custom look for her overnight. She ultimately attended the wedding in a light pink dress designed by McCartney, with lace detailing and a cream hat. She looked elegant as she glided towards the main doors of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon.
This was not the only last-minute fashion change at the royal wedding. Meghan Markle's evening reception gown and Amal Clooney's sunshine-yellow look were also created by the Stella McCartney team.
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Stella McCartney to the rescue
Oprah Winfrey narrowly avoided a wedding fashion disaster at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding. The media mogul and surprise invitee to the royal wedding shared her near mishap on Instagram. She revealed that she had to change her dress at the last minute as it was the wrong shade of beige and would have photographed too "white" on the big day.
"I would like to thank the Stella McCartney team for working all night long to get this dress finished because we had dressgate. Wrong colour," Winfrey said in a video posted on social media. The new dress was a light pink or blush pink dress with lace detailing and a cream hat.
According to her Instagram caption, Winfrey only realised on Friday evening that her original dress would end up being an inappropriate colour in the light of day and with the flash of cameras. Luckily for her, the Stella McCartney team was able to create a custom look for her overnight. Winfrey already had the right accessories, an elaborate hat by famed milliner Philip Treacy, which she had had in her closet since 2005 and just needed a refresher on its fluffy feather adornment.
And so, thanks to the quick work of the Stella McCartney team, Winfrey was able to glide towards the main doors of St George's Chapel on Saturday afternoon in a stunning and appropriate dress.
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A last-minute change
Oprah Winfrey narrowly avoided a fashion disaster at the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Winfrey, who was one of the surprise invitees to the wedding, had to change her dress at the last minute when she realized that it was the wrong shade of beige and would look too white in photographs. Wearing white to a wedding is a major no-no, as it is typically only the bride who wears this colour.
Winfrey shared her near mishap on Instagram, where she thanked fashion designer Stella McCartney and her team for creating a new dress for her overnight. In a video posted to the social media platform, Winfrey explained:
> I would like to thank the Stella McCartney team for working all night long to get this dress finished because we had dressgate. Wrong color.
The new dress was a pale pink or blush pink design with lace detailing, which Winfrey accessorized with a dramatic hat by famed milliner Philip Treacy. She revealed that she had owned the hat since 2005, but that it had been updated with new feathers.
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The original dress was beige
Oprah shared her near mishap on Instagram, captioning a video: "Realized Friday morning the beige dress I was planning to wear to the Royal ceremony would photograph too 'white' for a wedding. Her team did this overnight. Hat is vintage Philip Treacy, been in my closet since 2005 with new feathers. OMG was this an extraordinary day! #Harry&Meghan #RoyalWedding #Lovedeveryminute."
Oprah was able to swap out her original outfit for a light pink dress designed by Stella McCartney. She thanked the designer on Instagram, explaining: "I would like to thank the Stella McCartney team for working all night long to get this dress finished because we had dressgate. Wrong colour."
Oprah arrived at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wearing the pale pink dress with lace detailing and a cream hat. She certainly dodged a bullet with her last-minute outfit change!
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Oprah's Instagram post
Oprah Winfrey, who attended Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding, revealed on Instagram that she had to change her dress at the last minute. In her Instagram post, she thanked the Stella McCartney team for working all night to get her dress ready. She explained in her caption that she had originally planned to wear a beige dress, but realised that it would look too white in photographs, which is a major wedding fashion faux pas. She wrote:
> "Realized Friday morning the beige dress I was planning to wear to the Royal ceremony would photograph too 'white' for a wedding. Her team did this overnight. Hat is vintage Philip Treacy, been in my closet since 2005 with new feathers. OMG was this an extraordinary day! #Harry&Meghan #RoyalWedding #Lovedeveryminute."
Oprah's final outfit was a light pink dress with lace detailing, a cream hat, and an elaborate feather adornment.
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Frequently asked questions
Oprah Winfrey almost wore a beige dress to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding, but she realized it would look too white in photographs.
Oprah's team worked overnight to create a new dress in a pale pink shade.
The dress was designed by Stella McCartney and her team.
Oprah wore a vintage hat by Philip Treacy, which she had owned since 2005, with new feathers.
Yes, Oprah posted about the incident on Instagram, thanking the Stella McCartney team for their work.











































