Meghan Markle invited herself to the Balenciaga Paris Fashion Week Show, the brand’s creative director has claimed.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Duchess of Sussex, 44, instigated her appearance which she said was “the culmination of many years of friendship with Pierpaolo Piccioli”.
‘Beautiful Surprise’
Piccioli helped keep Markle’s attendance at his show under wraps.
In a new interview, Piccioli played down their supposed closeness, claiming their communication is no more than casual texting.
However, he also described Markle attending his show last week as a “beautiful surprise” and admitted he helped keep her Paris visit secret.
When asked about Markle’s trip — and her two outfits — he said: “Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show.”
He added: “There was no strategy or big orchestration.”
Text Talk
Markle’s closeness to Piccioli has been played down by the designer.
Markle’s decision to take a 10,000-mile round trip to Paris came out of the blue, Piccioli confirmed, as he explained why he kept her appearance under wraps.
He said: “I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise. In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.”
Some royal watchers had already questioned how close they really are as Markle shared an awkward kiss with Pierpaolo — and ended up butting heads with him as they leaned in for an embrace.
The Duchess of Sussex’s Paris mission made headlines around the world as she made her debut at one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks amid rumors London could be next, in the spring.
But there were a number of controversial moments.
Incident-Packed Trip
The Duchess’s appearance in Paris sparked a number of controversies.
Last week a video emerged of the Duchess appearing to laugh as a model took a tumble on the Balenciaga catwalk, next to her stony-faced friend.
She was watching the fashion show from the front row sitting next Marcus Anderson, Soho House brand’s creative director.
At one point, the Duchess was seen reacting with amusement, firstly gasping with horror before giggling behind her hands and turning to chat to Marcus, who remained stony-faced.
It has not been confirmed that a model fell over, and Markle may have simply been sharing a moment of laughter with her friend.
Markle, here with husband Prince Harry, was criticised for laughing at a model stumbling on the catwalk.
Nonetheless, royal fans were left baffled that she was the “only one laughing” — seeming at odds with the rest of the audience, who watched the show in silence and with neutral expressions.
Footage from behind the scenes also captures the moment she appears to attempt to make conversation with British actress and Slow Horses star Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, who was seen turning away from her, leaving her awkwardly hanging.
Plus, Markle was mocked for her “Zoolander walk”, as observers noticed the ex-Suits star appeared to be sashaying as she left the Balenciaga show like the dim-witted character made famous by Ben Stiller in the 2001 hit comedy.
“Meghan Markle trying to give Zoolander a run for his supermodel walk,” one user said on social media.
