Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, chatted with an Australian outlet! I believe this is her first interview since Harper’s Bazaar last year, correct? I’m sure that similar to the reaction to her Bazaar interview, her chat with the Australian Women’s Weekly will NOT cause a stir! God, do you remember how they screamed and wailed about that Bazaar interview? Jesus Christ. In any case, this new piece is a rare moment for Meghan to mostly talk about fashion and how she decides to support certain brands and spread her Meghan-Effect fairy dust all over Australian labels. In the Sussexes’ recent tour of Australia, Meghan wore so many different Aussie labels and they’ve ALL seen a significant sales bump in real time. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

Meghan on her recent Oz visit: “My husband and I have such an affinity for Australia,” the Duchess told The Weekly exclusively. “I said to him the day we were flying out, “The only thing better than Australia are Australians.”

She styles herself & chooses which designers she wants to uplift: “I love being able to wear local designers and celebrate the craftsmanship that’s happening in whatever region I’m travelling to. In 2018, during my trip to Australia, I really focused on smaller labels, female-owned brands, up-and-coming designers, and brands with purpose. I have so much fun personally selecting pieces, and I was really happy to be able to do it again for this trip. It was amazing to see how many new brands are putting out such fantastic pieces, and also to revisit brands like Karen Gee, whose dress I wore when we announced we were pregnant with Archie all those years ago.“

She wore 16 Aussie labels in this recent visit: The Duchess wore designs from 16 Australian labels on her visit, including Karen Gee, Scanlan Theodore, St. Agni, Camilla and Marc, Matteau, P Johnson, Beare Park, Paspaley, Friends With Frank and Rolla’s Jeans. But she says that she doesn’t have a favourite. “It would be hard to choose one because I put each look together with a different vibe in mind, and I loved them all for different reasons. There wasn’t always time to change between locations, so it was fun to get creative.”

She does have some favorites though: “St Agni is a label I’ve worn a lot over the last few years. I love what the brand stands for, with its white-shirt campaign that raises funds for cancer research, similar to what my friend Kelly Zajfen does with her organisation. Their silhouettes are incredibly chic, so the suede bomber jacket and pencil skirt, paired with the P Johnson turtleneck, is a look I really loved.”

The shift-dress look: “The more 1960s-inspired feeling of the Friends with Frank shift dress (that I paired with sheer black tights and vintage earrings I found on The RealReal) felt fun and playful. Scanlan Theodore is a label I wore in 2018 and again for Her Best Life. I loved the colour of the sleeveless sweater, and once I saw online that they had trousers in the same tone, I could envision the look, and it came together beautifully, similar to the Posse white column silhouette. I usually gravitate to tonal dressing because it looks streamlined, but I also find it a lot easier to put a look together that way. It removes some of the guesswork and feels timeless.”

Her all-black look for MasterChef Australia: “The look that felt modern but also nostalgic for me was what I wore for MasterChef Australia from Matteau and Camilla and Marc, because a button-down shirt and sleek pencil skirt felt very “Rachel Zane” from my Suits days. I was back on set, so I felt sentimental about it – and of course I thought wearing black was a safe choice in case there were any spills!”

Why she partnered with and invested in OneOff: “Fashion is one of the most powerful industries. It influences how we feel and what we project. And even if you don’t say a word, you can convey something in what you wear. Over the last several years, I would hear about an incorrect designer getting credit for something I wore, either via affiliate links or press, and that never seemed fair. Credit where credit is due. These brands and designers work so hard and take great pride in their work, and I choose them for a reason. Either supporting a friend, being brand loyal, or the reasons I mentioned earlier. So it’s always been important to me that the correct designer is credited.”

The Meghan Effect: The ready-to-wear version of the Karen Gee navy Priscilla dress sold out within two hours of Meghan wearing it. Meghan also chose to wear Karen Gee on her 2018 tour to Australia. Not only was it her first tour with Prince Harry, but her pregnancy with Archie was also announced. When the news broke, Karen Gee’s website crashed as millions rushed to acquire the dress. Similarly, Friends With Frank’s camel Lou car coat and khaki sleeveless Anja sack dress, which she also wore in Melbourne, also sold out within 48 hours. All the other brands have had similar experiences.

[From Australian Women’s Weekly]

I enjoy hearing her talk about clothes and it’s cool that she’s still styling herself. To be fair, she’s not “outside” constantly, so it’s probably fun and easy for her to ramp up for these overseas visits when they come up a few times a year. But she just has a good eye, and she’s an excellent “real life” model for wearable, modern style. Honestly, I wish she would give up the beiges and camels and embrace more saturated colors, but again, she’s a California girl and I imagine many women in Montecito dress similarly, with lots of creams and beiges, broken up with some navy and black. Still, it’s awesome when she wears something by a smaller label and it completely changes that designer’s life and business. It’s been happening for years and it’s so cool.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, MasterChef Aus’s Instagram and Her Best Life’s Instagram.