Balenciaga Designer Says Meghan Markle ‘Reached Out’ to Him About an Invite to Paris Fashion Week

Balenciaga designer Pierpaolo Piccioli opened up about Meghan Markle’s attendance at the brand’s Paris Fashion Week show, revealing that the Suits alum “reached out and said she’d love to come.”

“Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since,” Piccioli said in an interview with The Cut published on October 11. “There was no strategy or big orchestration. I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise.”

Meghan, 44, sent fans into a frenzy when she arrived at the Balenciaga event earlier this month. The Duchess of Sussex looked effortlessly elegant in a monochromatic cream outfit. She wore wide-leg trousers with a matching coat and draped shawl, and finished the look with black heels, a clutch, and her hair pulled back into a low bun.

Shortly after attending Paris Fashion Week, a source told Star that Meghan wanted to pitch a plan that would have her teaming up with Anna Wintour.

“She’s totally buzzing from this trip and saying it couldn’t have gone any better as far as building connections and whetting her appetite for an exciting new chapter,” the source said on October 8. “Meghan was determined to put an end to her awkwardness with Anna.”

The source added that the mom of two is hoping she and Wintour, 75, “can sit down together in the very near future and cook up some business together.”