Meghan Markle invited herself to Paris Vogue Week: Balenciaga designer
Speak about a celebration foul.
Balenciaga designer Pierpaolo Piccioli has revealed that Meghan Markle invited herself to his Paris Vogue Week present earlier this month.
“Meghan and I met some years in the past, and we’ve been texting ever since,” Piccioli, 58, advised The Reduce on Saturday, Oct. 11. “She reached out and mentioned she’d love to come back to the present.”
“There was no technique or massive orchestration,” he continued. “I didn’t inform anybody she was coming as a result of I needed it to remain a shock. In vogue, actual surprises are uncommon, and this one was stunning.”
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, stunned Paris Vogue Week attendees on Oct. 4 when she confirmed up on the Balenciaga present in a white, button-down tunic with a cape and matching slacks.
Markle’s rep advised Individuals on the time that the “Fits” alum was in Paris to “assist” Piccioli, who was debuting his first assortment with the model since changing into its artistic director again in July.
“Through the years, the Duchess has worn a lot of designs by Pierpaolo,” Markle’s spokesperson defined. “They’ve labored carefully collectively, collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage.”
“She has lengthy admired his craftsmanship and trendy class, and tonight was no completely different,” they continued. “This night displays the end result of a few years of artistry and friendship, mirrored in her assist for his new artistic chapter at Balenciaga.”
However Prince Harry’s spouse shortly confronted backlash for strolling the runway in assist of Balenciaga, which got here underneath hearth three years in the past for a marketing campaign that includes youngsters holding teddy bears wearing bondage-style outfits.
The model was compelled to concern an apology on the time, stating that they “strongly condemn baby abuse” and that “it was by no means our intent to incorporate it in our narrative.”
Markle and Prince Harry, 41, share two youngsters: Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
“The ‘duchess’ of hypocrisy: a woman who claims to defend the pursuits of kids, going to a vogue present that ran a disgusting marketing campaign with youngsters,” one critic wrote on Instagram.
“Why on earth would she go to a Balenciaga present?” questioned one other. “How may any mom assist that model?”
“Irony a cancelled lady turns up for a cancelled model,” fumed a 3rd. “What’s a mom pondering attending a vogue present of a home which used baby fashions posing with fetish-themed teddy bears?”
Markle, in the meantime, additionally got here underneath hearth throughout Paris Vogue Week for bursting out right into a match of laughter whereas sitting entrance row on the designer label’s spring-summer 2026 present.
Some speculated she was reacting to a mannequin who had tripped on the runway.
“At one level, [Markle] sat on the entrance row, and a mannequin tripped,” Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths advised GB Information. “She burst out laughing. After which she clearly realized that was fairly a merciless factor to do, so she type of coated it up.”
“She did appear a bit bit misplaced in Paris, if I’m going to be trustworthy,” Griffiths added. “She appeared a bit nervous.”
Nonetheless, a rep for the Netflix star later advised Each day Mail that Markle was not laughing on the mannequin.
