2019-09-30_Hello!_Magazine_UK

ithoutnotesandunscripted,theDuchesshasheraudienceofmagazineeditors– including

llo!’seditorinchiefRosieNixon– andfashiondirectorsspellboundasshetalksabouther

llection, while designer Misha Nonoo gets a warm welcome from her friend (left and below left)

urverybestandfeelconfidentandyouwantto

e wearinga pieceofclothingthatmakesyou

elthatway,nottheleftoversthatdidn’tsellat

e endoftheseason.

“I keptthinkingaboutit as I wenthomeandit

idn’ttrackforme.AndI said:‘We’vegottodo

omethingtotryandchangethis.’

Sheadded:“Abigpieceofthisis tryingto

ransformtheideaofcharityintocommunity.

“Whenwegointoourclosetasa womanand

think:‘I’mgoingtomakea donation,’you

don’tgothroughyourclosetandjusttossina

boxwhateveryoudon’tcareaboutanymore.

“That’scharityasweknowit.Communityis

goingthroughyourclosetandsaying:‘This

is theblazerthatI worewhenI nailedthat

job interviewandgotmydreamjob,andI

don’t need that any more because I’m where I

wanttobe.Butif I’mabletosharethatblazerand

bepartofanyotherwoman’s success story, then

that’scommunity.’”

EMBRACINGHERNEWHOME

Meghansaidshebeganbyasking“areallygood

friendofmineMishaNonoo,whohasspenta lotof

timewithherbrandethosdevelopingwomen’s

empowermentbutalsocapsulewardrobes”.

Next,sheapproachedM&SandJohnLewis–

“traditionalandquintessentialBritishbrandsthat

I’vebecomeintroducedtosinceI movedhere”–

andthenaskedJigsawtosignupafterbeingmoved

bya campaignoftheirs“highlightingthediversity

oftheUKandtheimmigrantcultureandhowit was

partofthefabricofthenation”.

Emphasisingherapproachof“onesmallproject

that has such big impact”, she added: “This is the

‘This is the kind of work I’ve been doing

for a long time and to do it here, in my new

home of the UK, means quite a bit to me’

RosieNixon,hello!editorin chief,givesherverdict

Asthesunbeatdown

ontheinvitedgroupof

femalemagazineeditors

andfashion directors

gatheredontopofthe

JohnLewisroofgarden

lastweek,therewasa

collectivegaspas the

Duchess of Sussex

madeherentrance.

Radiantonherfirstofficialdaybackat

orkfrommaternityleave,Meghanbeamed

armlyatherguests andweallsmiled

xcitedlyback,forthiswasanexclusive

vitationnoneofuswouldhaverefused.

Whenshetooktothepodium,theDuchess

elivereda passionate,natural,world-class

peech– minusanynotes(that’swhereher

cting experience helps) – about her

involvementintheSmartSetprojectand

how,“aswomen,it is onehundredpercent

ourresponsibilitytosupportanduplifteach

otherasweaimtosucceed”.

Weallhungoneverywordandit was

impossiblenot tofeel sisterlytowards

Meghan,a workingwomanandnewmum,

justlikemanyofus– albeitwithanincredible

platformtodogoodatherManoloBlahnik-

cladfeet.

Friendsof“Meg”attheeventlatertoldme

thatshecameacrossonthepodium“exactly

howshealwaysis inlife”: thatiskind,

eloquentandcompassionate.

Oneofthewomenbenefitingfrom

SmartWorkscharitylatersaid:“Ifelt

a princess.”

Meghansureissprinklingher princes

dust in all the right places.

‘

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