Before she was the Duchess of SusđâŻđ, Meghan Markle lit up the small screen as plucky paralegal Rachel Zane
Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits,” which aired on USA Network from 2011 to 2019. PHOTO:
IAN WATSON/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK
Years before she married Prince Harry, Meghan Markle made a name for herself on Suits â and the hit legal drama is having a resurgence!
The show originally aired on USA Network from 2011 to 2019 and has reached a whole new audience since its June debut on Netflix, where it is smashing streaming records. According to Variety, viewers binged 3.7 billion minutes of Suits between Netflix and Peacock for the week of July 10 to July 16 â besting its own record for most-viewed acquired streaming title, per Nielsen data.
As Suits trends, open the style files for a look back at Meghanâs best onscreen outfits. The future Duchess of SusđâŻđ previously said playing plucky paralegal Rachel Zane transformed her approach to clothes.
“I think it’s really changed because my sensibility had always been relaxed California girl style, and on any given day I was in jeans, cut-offs and flip-flops. But the weather alone in Toronto changes your wardrobe!â she told Glamour U.K. in 2017.
âThe fashion on Suits is gorgeous, so it also became my education of designers and really knowing what fits my body well,” she added â a serendipitous masterclass for a future duchess!
01of 12Season 1Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson, Rick Hoffmann as Louis Litt, Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane, Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter, Patrick Adams as Mike Ross on “Suits.”.
FRANK OCKENFELS/USA/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Audiences are introduced to the aspiring attorney in season 1, where Rachel Zaneâs work wardrobe was defined by crisp tailoring and complementary separates in neutral hues.
02of 12Season 2Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
BEN MARK HOLZBERG/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
A button down with a delicate necklace would prove to be a signature style for RachelâŚÂ and Meghan too!
03of 12Season 2Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Rachel glowed in a boucle gown at a black tie event with love interest Mike Ross (played by Patrick J. Adams), who secretly slid into a job at prestigious Manhattan law firm Pearson Hardman without a legal degree.
04of 12Season 3Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
SHANE MAHOOD/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Meghan’s character had a monochrome moment in a lavender top with dramatic ruffle tucked into a matching pencil skirt.
05of 12Season 3Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
SHANE MAHOOD/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Rachel showed a coworker the ropes in the same purple pencil skirt, refreshed with a heather sweater.
“A lot of my personal style is reflected â I like monochromatic and tonal dressing, and I don’t generally wear prints, and neither does Rachel now,â Meghan told Glamour U.K. of how she connected to her characterâs fashion. âRachel wears a lot of separates â she’s really the only character on the show who you’ll see mix and match wardrobe basics like a normal person would.â
06of 12Season 4Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
IAN WATSON/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Rachel beamed in a white button down with a pale blue pencil skirt, matching her handbag to her brown heels.
07of 12Season 4Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
SHANE MAHOOD/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
The Columbia Law School student juggled classes with work as her relationship with Mike heated up â but this black and grey combination hinted she was all business in the office!
“Rachel’s clothes reflect how she’s feeling, because that’s what happens in real life, right? When she and Michael were falling in love, everything was a blush tone and it was creams and layers and she was happier, and when she was really stressed everything was darker and there were slate and black tones,â she said.
08of 12Season 5Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
SHANE MAHOOD/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
The future Duchess of SusđâŻđ looked effortlessly elegant in a pink satin sheath, glass of white wine beside her.
09of 12Season 5Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
IAN WATSON/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Rachel looked timeless as she mulled her next move in a white blouse and curve-hugging skirt.
10of 12Season 6Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
SHANE MAHOOD/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Rachel was tapped to lend her talents to Pearson Specter Litt (spoiler alert!) and rose to the occasion in a black illusion top with puff sleeves and dove gray skirt.
11of 12Season 7Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane on âSuits.â.
SHANE MAHOOD/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Meghanâs character burned the midnight oil in bright white⌠her upcoming (onscreen) wedding maybe on her mind!
12of 12Off DutyMeghan Markle smiled and signed her name on a wall at AOL Studios in New York in 2016.
MIREYA ACIERTO/FILMMAGIC
We’d know that signature anywhere! Shortly after Meghan and Prince Harry announced their engagement in November 2017, USA Network announced that she was leaving Suits and that the seventh season would be her last.
âFrom all of us at USA Network and Universal Cable Productions, we want to send our most heartfelt congratulations to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on their engagement,â the statement said. âMeghan has been a member of our family for seven years and it has been a joy to work with her. We want to thank her for her undeniable passion and dedication to Suits, and we wish her the very best.â