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bitchy | Duchess Meghan talks As Ever, Netflix, WLM & more at the Fortune summit
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bitchy | Duchess Meghan talks As Ever, Netflix, WLM & more at the Fortune summit

by jummy84
written by jummy84

The Duchess of Sussex was a speaker at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, DC on Tuesday. She wore a creamy ensemble from Brochu Walker, lowkey one of her favorite post-Sussexit labels. She also wore some jewelry pieces from Ukrainian brand Guzema! She wore some Guzema pieces in New York as well. I have no idea if she was gifted all of these rings and earrings, or if she received one or two gifts and decided to buy more. I do know that Harry came back from Kyiv absolutely loaded down with gifts, many of which were specifically for Meghan. Anyway, the blouse is beautiful, and Meghan just looked amazing here.

During her Q&A session, Meghan spoke at length about women’s financial independence, what her first year of As Ever taught her, and what was her headspace in 2020, when she and Harry were just starting to build their lives in California. I was really interested in a lot of business talk. She confirmed that With Love, Meghan has an eighty-person crew, which still astounds me. And yet, she says that As Ever has a ten-person team. Hm. She also spoke about the new Netflix deal, which the Sussexes signed a couple of months back. Some quotes:

Meghan’s 10-person As Ever team: “I think you have to work as a team. You’re only as solid as the rest of the people around you. And also, I want the life-work balance, if such a thing exists. I’m still going to go and chaperone the first-grade field trip and run back and try to finish the meetings. I love the creative part, which I think I’ve touched on quite a bit, and the brand is an extension of my aesthetic, but it’s more than that. The operational side is so key.”

The Sussexes’ new first-look deal with Netflix: “My husband and I were in an overall deal with Netflix then, not dissimilar to Higher Ground and the Obamas’ deal, once that had come to its term, the extension of it — which was such an incredible sign of the strength of our partnership — was now being in a first-look deal. Which is also exciting because it gives us flexibility to go to our partners first, then at the same time, shop content that might not be the right fit for Netflix but has a home somewhere else.”

Whether we’ll get a WLM Season 3: “Well, the holiday special is coming out in November. It’s a really good one. So I think looking at that format — again, it’s a year of learns — so we’re able to say, ‘Eight episodes for two seasons — it’s a lot of work. And having done Suits for seven years, I remember what goes into a production. I also recognize how much people want content in different sizes. Part of what we’re testing out now is, it’s amazing to sit and watch a show for 30 minutes, but how can I give you a recipe in two minutes? And where can I share that with you? And how that continues to grow As ever.”

[From People Magazine]

I’m including the full video of the Q&A session below. Meghan expands even further on the new Netflix deal and mentions that there’s been work behind-the-scenes developing content, and she makes it sound like there are some projects coming up in the next year. That being said, it doesn’t sound (to me) like she’s super-committed to With Love, Meghan. Her priority is clearly As Ever above all else, and she sees WLM as primarily adjacent to As Ever at this point. It will be very curious to see if there’s a Season 3. While her WLM crew is insanely large for such a small, intimate show, I also feel like they’re shooting the episodes pretty quickly. So… I don’t know.

Screencaps courtesy of Fortune’s video.

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bitchy | Duchess Meghan was seen having lunch with Vogue’s new editor Chloe Malle
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bitchy | Duchess Meghan was seen having lunch with Vogue’s new editor Chloe Malle

by jummy84
written by jummy84

When the Duchess of Sussex was in Paris two weekends ago, she greeted Anna Wintour outside the Balenciaga show. There is a video, and you can see and hear Anna’s glee at seeing Meghan. They cheek-kissed and Anna introduced Meghan to Baz Luhrmann, then they walked into the event together. That one video demolished years of tabloid lies about Meghan’s relationship with Wintour and with the fashion elite. It also said, to me, that Wintour would have loved to put Meghan on a Vogue cover but Meghan was almost definitely the one turning it down.

Well, since Meghan’s PFW appearance, there’s been a lot of talk about what’s next for Meg in the fashion world. A brand ambassadorship? An ad campaign for a major fashion house? A possible American Vogue cover? Well, the Vogue cover could be happening. While the Sussexes were in New York, Meghan was seen dining with Chloe Malle, Vogue’s new editor-in-chief (note: Wintour is still in charge, overall, of all of Conde Nast’s content). The thing that’s so funny to me is that this lunch date (?) happened on Friday, you can tell because Meghan is still wearing her striped Ralph Lauren shirt. While RL will always be popular within the pages of Vogue, Meghan still went to see Vogue’s new EIC in an old RL blouse which is far from her best look.

Anyway… the rumors of an American Vogue cover are even circulating in the British media now. I really hope it happens, but I’ve been wanting this for years! I have the feeling that Meghan has turned down so many American magazine covers in the past five years, not just Vogue, but Elle, Allure, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, etc.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

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Chrissy Teigen hopes her and pal Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's children will have playdates one day
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Chrissy Teigen hopes her and pal Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s children will have playdates one day

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Chrissy Teigen wants her and pal Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s children to have playdates.

Chrissy Teigen has four children with her husband, singer-songwriter John Legend

However, the 39-year-old model – who has daughters Luna, nine, and Esti, two, as well as sons Miles, seven, and Wren, two, with her husband, 46-year-old singer-songwriter John Legend – says it may be hard to meet up with Meghan, 44, her husband Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, 41, and their kids, son Prince Archie, six, and daughter Princess Lilibet, four, because Chrissy does not “leave the house”.

Chrissy explained to People: “I’m not joking. I don’t go anywhere. I try to do every photo shoot, every everything at our house.

“So no [playdates]. But if the time came up, absolutely.”

The TV personality formed a friendship with the Duchess of Sussex when Chrissy appeared on season two of the royal’s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan – which sees Meghan invite friends and famous faces to a lavish estate in California, where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips.

Speaking about her relationship with the Duchess of Sussex, Chrissy gushed: “I adore her. I really adore her.

“I think she is so incredibly strong.”

The author cannot understand why Meghan is a “polarising” figure for some people.

Chrissy explained: “It is insane to me how polarising she is for so many different people, when she really is just such a kind, good person that wants the best for all her friends and the best for people around her, and the best for her own relationship and for her children.”

And Chrissy insists the Duchess of Sussex just “lives simply” in her and Prince Harry’s $30 million mansion in Montecito, California.

Chrissy added: “She just wants those things. And people come up with all these different things that she could be about or what she wants … [but] it’s not that complicated.

“People are always going to read into what they want to read into, and they’re going to hyperfocus into what they want to believe.

“People are just going to come up with their own story.

“I think it’s cool that [Meghan] is just like, ‘Listen, say whatever you want. I’m happy and I’m healthy and I feel good.'”




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bitchy | Eden: Duchess Meghan will visit the UK by the end of 2025, ‘bearing humble pie’
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bitchy | Eden: Duchess Meghan will visit the UK by the end of 2025, ‘bearing humble pie’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

This is the third week in a row in which the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden has devoted an entire column to one particular conspiracy theory. The conspiracy: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are desperate to leave their palatial Montecito home and come groveling back to the UK on hands and knees. Then, once they have relocated back to the UK (??) they plan to do the most to “undermine” the Prince and Princess of Wales. Additionally, Eden believes that this sinister plot also involves members of the Starmer government, and god knows, possibly a handful of Tory PMs as well!! Meaning, Eden claims that government officials are now actively lobbying for a Sussex Restoration, without any consideration for the pitiful feelings of William and Kate! Well, would you like to hear Eden draw out this conspiracy even further? Some highlights from his latest column:

British royalists continue to act as if France is part of their kingdom: As soon as the Duke of Sussex lost a legal challenge over his taxpayer-funded security in Britain back in May, he rushed to give a BBC interview in which he admitted to being ‘devastated’ and declared, emotionally: ‘I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.’ Surely, then, I wasn’t the only one surprised to learn that his wife, Meghan, was in Paris last weekend? The French capital was, of course, the place where Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car crash after she voluntarily gave up her official Metropolitan Police protection officers. So you might have thought Paris would be the last place the Duke would want his wife to be, particularly as he was not with her.

Meghan visited Paris as part of Project Thaw: Given Harry’s security concerns for his family – which were sufficiently deep that he was prepared to sue his father’s Government at great personal expense – questions have been asked about the real reason for the Duchess of Sussex’s first visit to Europe since she attended the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf more than two years ago. Now, I can provide some answers. Meghan’s French sojourn was part of the ‘Establishment plot’ – backed by some senior politicians and courtiers – that I have written about here in previous weeks. And I’ve even discovered its name. It’s known as ‘Project Thaw’ because the aim is to ‘warm up’ the Duke’s and Duchess’s frosty relationships with the rest of the Royal Family and with the British people. And what could be better than pictures of her being greeted with kisses by the European fashion pack as well as Vogue supremo Dame Anna Wintour?

More about Project Thaw: ‘This trip is all part of the “thaw” process,’ a friend of the California-based couple tells me. ‘Project Thaw’ aims to melt that [British] hostility, building on the perceived success of the duke’s visit to Britain last month when he carried out charity engagements and, crucially, was invited to Clarence House for tea with King Charles. It was the first face-to-face meeting between father and son in 19 months. That was followed by a visit to Kyiv, where Harry just happened to arrive on the same train to the war-torn Ukrainian capital as the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper. I understand that Ms Cooper is among the Establishment figures who admire the duke and want him to play a bigger part in public life.

Eden predicts that Meghan will visit the UK by the end of the year: I can disclose that the next planned move in the plot – or ‘process’ as their pals prefer to put it, suggesting a natural progression – is the couple’s first joint visit to Britain since they attended a charity engagement in September 2022, then stayed on for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. ‘Meghan will return to Britain before the year is out,’ the friend tells me, adding jokingly that she will be ‘bearing humble pie’. It remains to be seen whether ‘bearing humble pie’ – and eating it, presumably – is sufficient to placate the Royal Family or the British people.

[From The Daily Mail]

When Meghan lived in the UK, they did the most to break her, but she remained unbroken. When she left, they spent years trying to humble her and smear her from afar, but she still reclaimed her joy. Now these people live in a delusional world in which they cast Meghan as a woman desperate to be welcomed or accepted by the very same people who have tormented her for the past eight years. They position her as the outcast, servile and willing to eat “humble pie.” And think about this as well – all of this is because they’re trying to claim ownership of her to the extent that they’re arguing “Meghan visited Paris, which means she obviously wants to come back to England.” Like… did Britain colonize France and no one told me?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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bitchy | Day 4 of ‘Duchess Meghan went to Paris’: how dare she stay at the Plaza Athenee
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bitchy | Day 4 of ‘Duchess Meghan went to Paris’: how dare she stay at the Plaza Athenee

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Almost one year ago exactly, the Duchess of Sussex wore a red dress to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala. The Carolina Herrera dress was actually a repeat – she had worn the exact same dress with a big, flouncy, detachable train a few years prior. Meghan looked sleek and pretty at the 2024 event, she sat at one of the central tables and she had a lovely night out for charity. The British tabloids had a multi-week meltdown over it. In my coverage, I noted that we were on Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 of the “Meghan wore a red dress” controversy. They were STILL complaining about it two months later.

Well, you see where I’m going with this “remember when” story. Meghan’s Paris Fashion Week appearance has got ‘em shook. They’re panicked and angry and confused. How could she look so good? How could she be welcomed in Paris? Why isn’t she begging to come back to the UK? Why does she live in a California mansion? How could Anna Wintour greet her with such friendliness? How can we make Meghan’s Balenciaga experience into something nasty and unpleasant? Well, the Daily Mail did a double-whammy. They contacted some PR experts to analyze Meghan’s PFW appearance, and they also got Amanda Platell to write a nasty column.

According to multiple PR experts, Meghan’s appearance this weekend wasn’t one that was perfectly executed – in fact, it seemed far from it.

‘Paris Fashion Week was Megan’s deliberate re-entry into the cultural elite,’ Sarah Schmidt, President of Interdependence Public Relations, told Daily Mail exclusively. Schmidt shared that Meghan is ‘showing that she’s creating a brand and legacy on her own without the royal rule book.’

But the event she chose to attend may not have been the right choice, according to the expert. ‘This move signals ambition and independence, but the execution was tone deaf,’ Schmidt told Daily Mail. ‘Balenciaga’s shadow still lingers and aligning with this controversy undercuts her credibility,’ she continued. The luxury brand came under fire in 2022 for its campaign, which featured children holding teddy bears that were outfitted in bondage-style leather outfits.

‘For a public figure who’s tied her brand to compassion and advocacy, association matters. It was the right stage, wrong storyline,’ Schmidt said. ‘The goal for her brand moving forward will be credibility and consistency, not contradiction.’

[From The Daily Mail]

How convenient that the Mail found a “PR expert” who parroted one of the central criticisms featured in the Mail! “But Balenciaga had a controversy a few years ago!” And? The label has hired new people, including a new designer. This was Meghan helping Pierpaolo Piccioli and Balenciaga draw a line under the Demna Gvasalia era. As for Platell’s column, obviously she’s arguing that no one can ever do anything anywhere close to the Pont de l’Alma, where Princess Diana sustained fatal injuries in 1997. They’re really riding this lie that Meghan filmed “by” or “near” l’Alma, which she did not. From Platell’s column:

Does anyone really believe it was coincidence rather than cynical attention-seeking that Meghan’s first solo European trip as Duchess of Sussex was a visit to Paris? The romantic city that Princess Diana loved above all, and the one where she died? Or that it was mere happenstance, after Megs attended a Balenciaga fashion show, that she filmed then posted on social media the late-night, chauffeur-driven journey along the Seine back to her hotel – a route parallel to the one taken on the other side of the river by Diana on the night of her fatal crash.

Why, of all the countless five-star luxury hotels in Paris, did Meghan choose to stay in the Hotel Plaza Athenee just four minutes from the Pont de l’Alma tunnel where Diana’s car crashed? These questions all leave us wondering whether Meghan’s Paris trip was a naked bid to invoke an echo of the mother-in-law she never met, to establish herself in some deluded way as the heir to Diana.

Did she have her Netflix crew in tow to record every moment? I wouldn’t put it past her. Shamefully, Meghan sent her 4.5million Instagram followers pictures of herself with her stilettoed feet up on the seat in the back of her minivan, hauntingly close to where the Princess died.

And this leads us to question of where Harry was during this PR disaster? Why was Meghan making a solo visit? Why, come to think of it, is the Prince appearing less and less in her social media posts, after having been virtually written out of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan? Was Prince Harry sulking at home feeding the organic chooks, unaware of the trip and his wife’s intentions? Surely even dim-witted Harry would have cautioned his wife a trip to Paris was an unwise move, likely to provoke ridicule and anger?

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, Meghan needs to sue all of these people. I know Harry’s trial against the Mail starts in a few months, but still. Sue these f–kers. “Why did she stay in a hotel close to the tunnel” Jesus Christ – the Hotel Plaza Athenee is one of the grandest hotels in Paris, it’s where most celebrities stay when they’re in town for PFW. This column, more than anything else, really shows how angry the British media is that Meghan went to Paris specifically, and even more specifically, to Paris Fashion Week. They’re incandescent with jealousy and trying to make the visit as toxic as possible so that she’ll never step foot in Paris again.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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bitchy | Did Duchess Meghan collect a seven-figure appearance fee from Balenciaga?
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bitchy | Did Duchess Meghan collect a seven-figure appearance fee from Balenciaga?

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Celebrities’ appearance fees are not discussed enough. Celebrities and athletes get paid for showing up to a lot of stuff these days – in tennis and most sports, athletes can get a seven-figure appearance fee for just showing up to a smaller event or exhibition. For models and celebrities, they can often make more money from appearance fees than they make from their day jobs. This happens at fashion shows all the time – while there will always be B-listers and C-listers who show up for free (or free clothes), many major fashion houses will absolutely pay top-tier A-listers to show up for their runway shows. This is part of celebrities’ brand ambassadorships as well – like, maybe Jennifer Lawrence isn’t being paid specifically to go to Dior shows, but I guarantee that those appearances are built into her Dior ambassadorship contract. Well, now Rob Shuter claims that the Duchess of Sussex got a seven-figure check to appear at the Balenciaga show.

Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show. The Duke of Sussex attended the high-profile event to support her fashion designer friend, Pierpaolo Piccioli. She donned a white outfit with matching pants and a long cape covering her shoulders. As per a latest source, Markle was the highest-paid guest at the show.

Meghan Markle was paid a million for Balenciaga appearance, says source
As per Rob Shuter‘s #ShuterScoop, Meghan Markle charged a seven-figure price tag for attending Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show. One fashion insider told the outlet, “It wasn’t an invite — it was a transaction.” The individual further added, “Balenciaga wanted global attention, and Meghan delivered. A source shared that the 44-year-old’s team treated it like a movie premiere.”

The source also mentioned, “Private jet, five-star suite, glam squad — all part of the agreement.” Moreover, Piccioli is reportedly building a polished brand image, and Markle became the ideal muse. A stylist explained that the former actor is “modern royalty, and brands will pay for that aura.” Markle’s representatives had stated that she attended the fashion show “to support a friend.”

However, according to industry whispers, she ended up becoming “one of fashion’s highest-paid guests.” A source hilariously said the royal member is “not walking the runway, but she’s still the most expensive ticket in Paris.”

[From Yahoo]

I think Shuter’s exclusives are mostly BS, but this one just sounds more like educated guesswork. I’ll admit that I wondered about it too, and I think it’s not a question of “if” but “how much.” My guess is the same as Shuter’s – that Balenciaga paid for all of it, the flights to and from Paris, the hotel rooms for Meghan and her team, the glam squad and they paid for Meghan’s presence at the show and the party. Will this turn into a brand ambassadorship with Balenciaga? I wonder.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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bitchy | Duchess Meghan stepped out for the Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week
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bitchy | Duchess Meghan stepped out for the Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week

by jummy84
written by jummy84

In the past two years, there have been HUGE reshuffles at nearly every major fashion house. It’s a pretty crazy moment for fashionistas and people who study the fashion industry. During Paris Fashion Week, many of the new creative directors of the most recognizable brands in the world gave their debut collections. One of those new chief creatives? Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first-ever collection for Balenciaga after 16 years at Valentino.

The Duchess of Sussex loved wearing Piccioli’s Valentino designs, and on Saturday, she stepped out for her first-ever Paris Fashion Week to attend his debut collection with Balenciaga. I’m assuming that the Balenciaga team styled Meghan, because that’s how most of these “celebrity appearances” at fashion shows work – you get to wear something fresh from the runway and the designers’ stylists want everything to look on-theme. Meghan wore all-white – elegant white trousers, a billowy white button-down and a white cape. She also wore black pumps and carried a black bag. I’m assuming the shoes and bag are Balenciaga as well – Balenciaga has always done some majorly coveted handbags, and I hope they’re prepared for the Meghan Sussex bump. From Hello! Mag:

Meghan, who teased her arrival in the French capital with an Instagram story overlaid with the French track “Viens on essaie” by Vitaa and Julien Doré, was there “in support Pierpaolo Piccioli, who recently assumed the role of Creative Director for the House”, a spokesman for Meghan tells HELLO!.

“Over the years, the Duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo. 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,” said the spokesman. “This evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga.”

[From Hello]

Nice. As I’m writing this, I’ve completely avoided the British tabloid coverage of this. I assume that it will take them a good 12 hours to get their talking points from the palace. What else?? As Vogue pointed out, while this is Meghan’s first-ever appearance at Paris Fashion Week, in her pre-Sussex era, she attended shows at New York Fashion Week, including the runways for Tory Burch, Peter Som, Wes Gordon and Misha Nonoo. Meghan also ran into Anna Wintour at the show and Anna sounded very, very pleased to see Meghan in Paris. American Vogue cover WHEN?? It’s honestly past time for an American Vogue cover. PS… Meghan stepped out in black after the show!!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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bitchy | Duchess Meghan apparently wore a new Logan Hollowell moonstone ring
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bitchy | Duchess Meghan apparently wore a new Logan Hollowell moonstone ring

by jummy84
written by jummy84

These photos didn’t get enough attention, so I’m glad I get to use them again. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a public appearance last weekend at Kevin Costner’s annual One805Live Concert. The concert has become quite the A-list event, with wealthy celebrities all gathering for the outdoor concert and fundraiser for first responders in the Santa Barbara community. Prince Harry has attended for concert for three straight years, and Meghan attended in 2023 and this year.

This year, Meghan wore a Carolina Herrera dress which was nice (if slightly unflattering). Meghan obviously wore her signature bracelet stack and some rings as well. Well, eagle-eyed lovers and haters have been trying to figure out if Meghan wore a new ring on her right hand, and they think they’ve ID’d it: Logan Hollowell’s Water Drop Moonstone ring in the “Classic Queen” size. The Daily Mail thinks that this ring was probably Harry’s birthday gift to Meghan this year. It retails for £3,185 and it looks like her style. Of course, the Mail is freaking out about that ring, and ALL of Meghan’s jewelry. They’re really torn up about the fact that Meghan has nice pieces and she likes to wear her beautiful jewelry when she leaves the house.

Meghan Markle caused quite a stir when she took to the stage at a recent Kevin Costner charity event dripping in gold and diamonds. After flaunting her pricey wardrobe and cookware on her Netflix show, experts are now questioning if she has completely lost sight of who her audience is. Appearing on Sunday at Costner’s home in Summerland, California, not only did Meghan wear Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Française watch – worth more than $24,000 – she also donned a $7,000, solid-gold Cartier Love bracelet, a $5,000 Jennifer Meyer mini bezel tennis bracelet and, of course, her $160,000 engagement ring.

For years, Meghan has championed herself as approachable and down to earth – qualities that reportedly left her husband Prince Harry ‘delightfully surprised’. In an April interview with The New York Times, journalist Julia Moskin noted that Meghan seemed ‘clearly bothered’ by ‘accusations that she is unrelatable and out of touch.’

‘Don’t they know my life hasn’t always been like this?’ Meghan told the Times, as she gestured to the ‘sweeping views’ from her $14million Montecito mansion. But, experts say, she could now be losing grasp of that persona.

‘Meghan may desire to connect with everyday people, but if so, she has to be fully committed,’ Ryan McCormick, Managing Partner at Goldman McCormick PR, told the Daily Mail. ‘Wearing that kind of expensive jewelry communicates, “I am in the upper class.” So we have two conflicting messages here, and that’s one of the reasons why it could be challenging for some members of the public to emotionally connect with her.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Hey, at least they’re not pretending that Meghan absconded with royal jewels anymore, or acting like the crown paid for the jewelry Meghan has owned for years before she even met Harry. Now they’re just whining about how Meghan’s everyday jewelry, including her engagement ring and watch, makes her look “unrelatable.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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bitchy | Edward Enninful won’t work with Duchess Meghan again, doesn’t want to ‘repeat myself’
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bitchy | Edward Enninful won’t work with Duchess Meghan again, doesn’t want to ‘repeat myself’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Edward Enninful is trying to rebuild his career or do something new. Two years ago, he left British Vogue after a six-year stint as editor-in-chief which revolutionized the magazine. Before Enninful, British Vogue was pretty staid and not inclusive in the least. Enninful put women of color on the cover, he brought in the Duchess of Sussex to guest-edit the magazine (in what would become the highest-selling issue in the mag’s history), and he prioritized global fashion and more international models. It’s widely believed that Enninful left British Vogue after he made a play to replace Anna Wintour and he got outmaneuvered. Whatever happened, Enninful is only hinting at it these days. He’s launched his own media company, EE72, and he’s launched a new quarterly magazine, 72 (his birth year is 1972). To promote the new venture, Enninful gave a lengthy interview to the Times of London, and it’s worth talking about some of these quotes.

He doesn’t blame Anna Wintour for his departure from Conde Nast. “I feel I really changed Vogue, and my work was pretty much done. I’ll have fond memories but I was never going to do a lifetime’s service. I couldn’t have done what Anna has done.”

He swears he hasn’t fallen out with Wintour. “I text a bit. I had a great run at Vogue. I’m different; I don’t have rules. I have boundaries, but I allow creative freedom. I have no forbidden colours, though I don’t embrace colour myself. I prefer to hide and get on with the job.” What about British Vogue’s new head of editorial content, Chioma Nnadi? “She’s very competent,” he says, as icy as Wintour suddenly.

He isn’t focused on class: “I love King Charles and Queen Camilla — I went to the coronation with Katy Perry. I am happy to have them in the magazine. They care about the same things I do.”

The rise of sexism: “Women constantly need to be vigilant, and I am there for the fight. There is the manosphere, but that is not my world or reality — Andrew Tate is not my thing. But I think we must meet the young on their platforms to counter him, give them something else, more optimism. Gen Z are very interesting. They care about issues; they are curious. They need to be protected as they navigate this new online world and I want to do it with them.”

His comments about the Duchess of Sussex: That is what Enninful does so adeptly: he loves gossip, rarely falling out with celebrities in the highly fraught fashion world — the Duchess of Sussex is rumoured to be one of the few exceptions after she guest-edited the September 2019 edition of Vogue. He pauses. “Meghan and I had a great moment with the issue we did, but I feel like I have done it and I wouldn’t necessarily repeat myself.”

[From The Times]

Leaving the EIC position after six years because he felt his work was “done”?? Bizarre. Whatever happened – and we still don’t know – it feels less Game of Thrones and more like The Office, you know? Just petty office politics rather than a larger falling out. As for what he says about Meghan… curious wording from the Times and curious wording from Enninful. Earlier this year, there were some really odd stories about Enninful and Meghan falling out in 2022 because he wouldn’t give her a British Vogue cover or something. The nonsensical stories felt like they were coming from Enninful’s camp or they were happening with his approval. I strongly suspect that Enninful asked Meghan for a favor (something like, “will you appear on the cover, it would really help me out”) and she said no. I suspect that because he’s behaving like HE got jilted. Honestly, his public insistence that he doesn’t want Meghan for a cover shows that he’s a bad editor too, right? Like… why would you not want one of the most famous women in the world on the cover of your start-up magazine?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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