The Art of Royal Outfit ID’ing

How Susan Courter of ‘What Meghan Wore’ tracks down the duchess’s fashion.

Mar 18, 2025

∙ Paid

On Monday, a new photo of the Duchess of Sussex popped up on the Instagram account of her new venture, As Ever. “Simple pleasures,” Meghan captioned the picture of her standing near a sink holding a small bowl of blueberries. She is visible only on the right side of the image, her hands in clear view but her face cropped at her nose. The duchess is wearing an ivory blouse, the sleeves rolled up. I zoomed and squinted, looking for identifying details to determine what brand made the top. I’ll be honest, I came up short.

aseverofficial

A post shared by @aseverofficial

Susan Courter of What Meghan Wore, however, saw much more. “Possibly from Frame,” she wrote on her own Instagram post, collaging Meghan with a silhouette of the garment (and tipping her hat to Mary of Meghan’s Closet Chronicles, a fellow royal fashion ID’er). When I texted to ask how Courter could be so sure, she responded quickly. “Covered buttons, the collar, the color — she wears the brand,” she wrote. I pressed her further, still straining to see it. Courter noted the spacing of the buttons and the shape of the collar. “It’s looking at those little details,” she replied. Although Courter is confident in the ID, she prefaced the credit with “possibly” because she could not see the garment in full and did not want to steer anyone incorrectly.

whatmeghanwore

A post shared by @whatmeghanwore

For many years now, Courter has been part of a select group of internet sleuths who identify royal fashion. Within minutes of an appearance, or the release of a new image, a handful of people are able to track down not just the brand but the style a person is wearing — and, many times, a link, too. Given the frenzy that can arise, these outfit identifiers wield a tremendous amount of economic power, directing eager shoppers where to spend their money (and often earning a small commission through affiliate links, too).

It’s something Courter takes seriously. Her transparency, like adding “possibly” to the blouse this week, has helped her build a name as a trustworthy source of credits. “It’s about delivering the most accurate information,” she says, “particularly to those who want to buy something she’s worn.”

The smallest details matter greatly to Courter. Take a 2017 shot of then-Meghan Markle in Toronto. Many outlets identified her sneakers as the Adidas black suede “Gazelle” style. Courter purchased a high-resolution photo and zoomed in. “That’s when I noticed the pattern,” she shares, “and realized they were something slightly different.” Meghan’s shoes were actually the snake-embossed black and crystal white leather version.

(*Graphic courtesy of* What Meghan Wore)

Courter lives with her husband and three dogs in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. She began the social media accounts for What Meghan Wore in 2016 and launched her site the following year. She previously worked in the corporate world, spending three years in marketing for Tiffany & Co. and more than a decade at Citibank, including as a project manager. Following a round of layoffs in 2019, she made What Meghan Wore her full-time job.

Below, excerpts from the insightful chat we had the week With Love, Meghan hit Netflix. Courter shares how she makes all of these IDs, the pressures and pitfalls of this work, as well as the unique challenges posed by the new series (which saw Courter standing in front of her big screen TV and hitting pause-play on repeat to catch as many angles as she could). I am grateful for her willingness to share — I learned a lot from this conversation.