Meghan Markle Made Her Paris Fashion Week Debut With Balenciaga
By
19 seconds ago
The Duchess of Sussex hasn’t been seen at a Fashion Week show in almost a decade
Paris Fashion Week is no stranger to attracting big names – both on and off the runway – but this season seemed an even grander occasion than usual, thanks to a surprise appearance from Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex took a front row seat at Balenciaga’s SS26 show, in an act that experts say broke royal protocol (in the best way). Here’s everything you might have missed from the show, plus the details on Markle’s all-white outfit.
Meghan Markle Attends Balenciaga Show At Paris Fashion Week
It’s not everyday a member of the royal family sits in on a fashion show. Of course, there was the time back in 2018 when Queen Elizabeth II sat beside Anna Wintour at a Richard Quinn show, where she also presented him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, and then Kate Middleton allegedly made her mark on Prince William when she modelled for a student show back in 2002 – but otherwise, the royals are fairly scarce when it comes to the runway.
Meghan Markle is the exception. The Duchess of Sussex attended Fashion Week shows long before she married Prince Harry, becoming a regular at New York and Toronto Fashion Weeks while acting on Suits. But, since 2018, she’s mostly stayed out of the sartorial spotlight – until now.
View this post on Instagram
‘Traditionally, royals do not appear on the front row at Fashion Week,’ notes designer and royal style expert Tyler Ellis. ‘With this in mind, Meghan Markle’s appearance at Paris Fashion Week underscored the distance she has placed between herself and royal convention.’
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex clarified that she made the trip to Paris to support Balenciaga’s new creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, who made his runway debut for the brand this season. ‘Over the years, the duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo,’ the statement said. ‘They have worked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage. She has long admired his craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different.’
This time in the fashion calendar is a notable one, with many design houses using Spring/Summer 2026 as a platform to debut new creative leads – Piccioli joins the ranks of Dario Vitale at Versace, Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gautier and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel in starting a new chapter for the brand he now leads.
With this in mind, it’s thought that the luxury brand called on Markle – who has been a patron of Piccioli for many years now – to support the designer’s latest creative endeavour. ‘This evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga,’ confirmed the royal’s spokesperson.
Some have also likened the brand’s story to Markle’s, indicating that her appearance marks a moment of change for the Duchess of Sussex. ‘Her choice to attend Balenciaga, a house navigating its own reinvention, felt particularly telling,’ muses Tyler. ‘The brand remains one of the most influential in shaping modern fashion, yet its presence has been marked by complexity and scrutiny.
‘By aligning with it at such a visible moment, Meghan signalled her willingness to engage with fashion as a broader cultural platform,’ she continues, ‘positioning herself as someone who expresses independence while leaning into the conversations shaping the industry today.’
View this post on Instagram
What Did She Wear?
For Paris Fashion Week, Meghan Markle stepped out in something that felt familiar – at least, if you’ve been keeping up with her new life in California. Dressed in custom pieces from Piccioli’s SS26 collection, Markle wore an all-white ensemble consisting of a blouse, trousers and cape. She accessorised the look with a black suede clutch from Balenciaga, alongside the brand’s signature Knife Pumps, also in black.
Steering clear of the royal family’s typical penchant for heritage labels and British names, Tyler says the look more closely resembles the ‘signature Los Angeles ease’ she’s cultivated while in the US – and which we’ve had glimpses of thanks to her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. ‘Her personal style is all about clean tailoring, light tones and minimalist lines,’ notes Tyler. ‘But for Paris Fashion Week she’s elevated her usual sartorial codes through avant-garde proportions. This lent her outfit a directional, fashion-forward quality.’
‘Her look was a masterclass in quiet luxury,’ adds Justin Daughters, Managing Director at antique jewellery specialist Berganza. ‘She opted for clean lines, minimal sparkle and jewellery pieces that whisper rather than shout. This kind of refined restraint is deeply expressive, signalling confidence, intention and an evolved sense of style.’
It also didn’t go unnoticed that the Duchess of Sussex stuck to one of her favourite fashion rules: monochromatic dressing. ‘This has long been central to Meghan’s wardrobe,’ notes Tyler. ‘Although it is also a hallmark for Kate Middleton, who has mastered the art of tonal dressing within the framework of royal tradition. Where the Princess of Wales’ approach to monochrome exudes timeless refinement and consistency, Meghan’s version feels looser, more modern, and distinctly American in spirit.’
View this post on Instagram
And it looks like Markle carried these styling rules through to the evening, when she attended a dinner for Balenciaga in one of the house’s brand new SS26 gowns – custom made in black (a far cry from the red version on the runway) for the occasion. She pulled the look together with the same Balenciaga pumps she had worn earlier in the day, alongside a stack of gold bracelets and, on her right hand, a pear-shaped diamond ring.
Two pieces of jewellery she opted to wear for the entire day included a pair of oval diamond studs, and a ring stack – which includes the newest iteration of her engagement ring – on her left hand.
‘Her delicate stacked rings and subtle earrings are the kind of pieces that often carry personal significance,’ adds Justin, ‘heirloom-worthy items that reflect thoughtful curation and a sense of individuality. This is jewellery chosen not out of duty or tradition, but as an expression of identity.
‘It’s a powerful departure from the traditional codes of royal adornment and it mirrors what we’re seeing among modern, style-conscious women more broadly, a gravitation towards pieces that hold meaning and are worn with purpose.’
