Here at T&C, we pride ourselves on our discerning eye for quality. With Tried & True, our editors will give you an inside look at the pieces they simply cannot live without.
It’s no secret Meghan Markle has expensive taste in fashion, but even she likes a good bargain. Case in point: When she joined Prince Harry in British Columbia last year ahead of the 2025 Vancouver Invictus Games, the Duchess of Sussex further proved she was the master of high-low dressing, wearing high-end pieces with $70 black sunglasses from Blenders several times. The pair in question is called the Grove—and now that I’ve been given a chance to test them out this summer, I can confirm they’re keepers.
The Grove features an oversized cat-eye silhouette that flatters various face shapes, including my oval-shaped face, and add an instant glam factor to a slew of looks. They’re made of premium acetate, which renders them lightweight and durable, and the black frames have beautiful gloss that gives off an expensive look. Oh, and they’re designed to resist scratches! That’s super important for me because I have a bad habit of throwing my sunglasses into a bag without a case. I know, I know… I’m working on it!
But the real selling point are the lenses. Like with all Blenders styles, the Grove have 100 percent polarized lenses, which help reduce light glare and eyestrain, while enhancing visual clarity. As someone with astigmatism, I often experience blurry vision and eyestrain even with my contacts on—but polarized glasses really help keep my eyes in focus and significantly improve distortion. Better still, the pair offers 100 percent UV protection, which is crucial anytime of year but especially now when the UV levels are at their highest.
Meghan wearing the Blenders Grove sunglasses in Whistler, Canada in February 2024.
For what it’s worth, the shades also have over 800 reviews with a 4.6 average star rating, which isn’t too shabby. One shopper loved “the look and feel of these glasses” and how they are “so affordable, but yet so well-made.” Another reviewer remarked, “They’re the first pair of sunglasses I’ve purchased that have lasted through everything be it drops on the ground or trampled by horses. Will continue to buy these over and over again!”
For $70, color me impressed. The “Meghan Markle Effect” strikes again.
Sophie Dweck is the Associate Shopping Editor for Town & Country, where she covers all things fashion, beauty and lifestyle, shares her expertise on the most worthwhile luxury products, tests and writes in-depth reviews on the very best essentials worth investing in, as well breaking news about the latest launches, and of course, reports on the biggest sales and deals to shop no matter the day. Some of her favorite items to date are Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial cardigan, the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, and ZIIP’s microcurrent device. When Sophie isn’t testing state-of-the art beauty tech or breaking down TikTok aesthetics, she loves indulging in BonBon sweets (Sorbisars, for the win!) and finding the next trend before it goes viral.