A VERSION of the Giorgio Armani dress as worn by Meghan Markle for her Oprah interview has gone on display in Bath.

Visitors to Bath's Fashion Museum are now able to view the famous dress for themselves as it is the final item in the headline exhibition 'A History of Fashion in 100 Objects'.

Made from black triple silk georgette, the garment features a deep front, lotus flower embroidery and matching belt from Giorgio Armani’s Spring/Summer 2022 Cruise Collection, which is still available to buy in America.

Each year, the fashion museum invites top names from the fashion industry to select a dress of the year that encapsulates the prevailing mood of fashion and represents the past 12 months.

Experts Ibrahim Kamara and Gareth Wrighton from Dazed magazine decided this mood was encapsulated by the highly anticipated CBS interview, which aired in nearly 70 countries and drew an estimated 60 million viewers worldwide.

The Dazed experts said: "In today’s hyper-stylised pop culture, the Dress of the Year now has the potential to also be ‘meme of the year’ 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.

"Meghan’s wrap dress by Armani, worn to showcase a divine pregnancy, framed the Duchess in black against the bountiful landscaping of Tyler Perry’s Hollywood garden.

"This look now, through sheer association with a viral television moment, is firmly engrained in our pop culture psyche."

A spokesperson for the museum said: "It’s well known that members of the Royal family often use outfits to send a message through their choice of style, colour or motif.

"It was reported that the Duchess chose a dress with a lotus flower design because of the flower’s symbolic association with rebirth, self-regeneration and spiritual enlightenment, and its ability to flourish despite seemingly challenging conditions."

Rosemary Harden, Fashion Museum manager, said: “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.

"The softly structured Armani dress with beautiful appliquéd lotus flower motif was part of a carefully curated look, guaranteed to send messages, and to imprint itself in our consciousness time and time again.”

Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for children and young people, communities and culture at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “We’re delighted that this iconic dress will be added to the Fashion Museum collection to represent a key moment of 2021.

"We look forward to seeing it on display at the museum, where local residents and visitors will be able to admire it up-close.”

Details via: fashionmuseum.co.uk/