An immaculate vision in white, the Duchess of Sussex made her Paris Fashion Week debut last year, materialising in the Balenciaga front row.
Having flown solo from Montecito, where she was living at the time, Meghan’s appearance was unexpected.
She had come to support Pierpaolo Piccioli, the fashion house’s creative director, who lent her the striking white suit and dramatic cape she wore for the star-studded occasion.
‘Over the years, the Duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo,’ her spokesman said at the time. ‘They have worked closely together, collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage.’
Now, with Meghan back in Europe, royal watchers will be wondering whether she will return to Paris Fashion Week in the coming weeks.
She has certainly dropped a hint. On her As Ever Instagram page, the Duchess shared a photograph of one of her branded bookmarks resting on what appeared to be a page from a Paris guidebook, prompting speculation that another fashion-week appearance could be on the cards.
Last year, Meghan was seen greeting Vogue editor-in-chief Dame Anna Wintour and chatting to celebrated film director Baz Luhrmann. But her Parisian adventure was not entirely smooth.
Last year at Paris Fashion Week, Meghan was seen greeting Vogue editor-in-chief Dame Anna Wintour and chatting to celebrated film director Baz Luhrmann. But her Parisian adventure was not entirely smooth
There was the awkward air kiss with Piccioli, whose designs she has frequently worn. As cameras flashed, Meghan moved in to greet the designer, but their timing was off, not helped, perhaps, by Piccioli’s dark sunglasses, resulting in a clumsy near collision of noses (TikTok / saintleon)
It transpired that Meghan hadn’t been formally invited, as is customary for other celebrity attendees, but had instead engineered her own invitation.
The Italian designer, Mr Piccioli, later revealed that she had asked if she could attend, debunking the myth that she had been personally summoned by the fashion gods.
Meghan herself confirmed that she reached out to Mr Piccioli to ask to attend the show, later telling Harper’s Bazaar: ‘I reached out and I said, “Happy to come and support you”. We kept it a secret, and it was really fun.’
Then, amid the solemnity of the catwalk, came the cardinal sin: Meghan appeared to be caught giggling and covering her mouth as a model stumbled on the Balenciaga runway. Not quite the done thing.
There was the awkward air kiss with Piccioli, whose designs she has frequently worn. As cameras flashed, Meghan moved in to greet the designer but their timing was off, not helped, perhaps, by Piccioli’s dark sunglasses, resulting in a clumsy near collision of noses.
Then came the social-media backlash over Balenciaga’s controversial past. One campaign, pulled and followed by an apology from the fashion house, featured children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage-style accessories.
Meghan treated her fans to an outfit change as she was seen during Paris Fashion Week
And Meghan’s own Instagram provided another talking point when she posted a photograph of her feet propped up in the back of a limousine as it allegedly passed two Paris bridges close to the Pont d’Alma tunnel, where Princess Diana was killed in 1997.
Royal watchers and commentators criticised the decision, arguing that the image showed poor judgment given the location’s association with one of the most consequential tragedies in modern royal history.
However, according to Vanity Fair, a representative for Meghan later clarified that she was not present at the bridge and did not laugh at a model during Paris Fashion Week.
But whatever one thinks of the Duchess, she certainly knows how to generate a conversation.
So, if she does return to Paris Fashion Week next week, there is little doubt that the cameras will be watching and waiting for the glamorous mother-of-two’s potential red carpet appearance.
