Meghan Markle is being urged to stop hiding and either make a comeback or leave the spotlight for good, as Paris Fashion Week draws to a close with the womenswear schedule wrapping up tomorrow. Rumours have been swirling that the Duchess of Sussex could make an appearance, after keeping an extraordinarily low profile since returning to Britain.
A Fashion Moment Awaits
Love her or loathe her, Meghan understands the power of a fashion moment and knows how to make an entrance. Last year, she practically hijacked Fashion Week simply by appearing at Balenciaga, with fashion insiders remarking on the extraordinary attention her arrival generated.
This year, however, the call is for more than another mysterious car door opening followed by a rehearsed strut towards a wall of cameras. If Prince Harry's wife, 45, genuinely wants to re-establish herself as a serious fashion player, Paris is the place to prove there is substance behind the spectacle.
Paris Is Practically Begging for a Meghan Moment
Fashion Week gives her something completely different: no royal engagement, no family drama and no need to explain herself - just clothes, cameras and one extremely valuable front-row seat. She already proved last year that she can make the fashion world swivel in her direction when her unexpected Balenciaga appearance became one of the week's most talked-about celebrity moments.
Meghan has spent weeks allowing speculation about her British comeback to build while making precious few public appearances herself. Paris has provided the stage; all she needs to do now is actually walk onto it.
No Repeat of the Balenciaga Circus
Meghan's last Parisian fashion adventure was hardly without its awkward moments, including a muddled double-kiss greeting with creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli that came within inches of becoming considerably more intimate than either presumably intended.
Piccioli later revealed that it was Meghan who had reached out, telling The Cut: “She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show.” Piccioli insisted there was “no strategy or big orchestration”, which only made the whole thing even more fascinating, considering just how much publicity her surprise arrival generated.
The Clothes Need to Do the Talking This Time
If Meghan does appear, the question is who she will wear. Her wardrobe has long leaned towards restrained luxury, clean tailoring and expensive neutrals, while last year's custom Balenciaga looks pushed that formula onto a far bigger fashion stage.
This time, the desire is for a designer choice that tells something about the woman the Duchess really wants to be now, rather than simply the label capable of generating the loudest splash. If she walks into a show wearing a house that genuinely aligns with her style and builds a relationship that lasts beyond one flashbulb-heavy evening, the fashion comeback would be applauded. But if it is another well-timed phone call, borrowed front row and 24-hour publicity storm, then it is relevance rented for the night.
