Fashion: Clare Waight Keller, Meghan’s Wedding Dress Designer, and Givenchy Part Ways

Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer, Clare Waight Keller, has left Givenchy. The British-born designer, who became the first female leader of the French fashion house when she joined up in 2017, was at one time the creative head at Pringle of Scotland and Chloe.

Clare’s Exit Statement

Waight Keller, in an exit statement, said: “As the first woman to be the artistic director of this legendary Maison, I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to cherish its legacy and bring it new life.”

Waight Keller, 49, succeeded a line of highly creative and outstanding design talent such as Alexander McQueen, Riccardo Tisci, John Galliano, and Julien Macdonald. She also became known as the individual who restored couture in the house.

Sidney Toledano, head of the LVMH group that owns Givenchy, has this to say about Clare Waight Keller: “Under her creative leadership, the Maison reconnected with the founding values of Hubert de Givenchy and his innate sense of elegance.”

Keller’s Relationship with the Duchess of Sussex

Clare Waight Keller’s relationship with the Duchess of Sussex actually extended beyond Meghan’s wedding day. Waight Keller was the designer that dressed the Duchess for Ascot, which is the trooping of the color ceremony, and Remembrance Sunday.

And when Waight Keller won the British Designer of the Year award back in 2018, the award was presented by the Duchess herself in a surprise appearance while heavily pregnant and wearing a black, off-the-shoulder dress by Givenchy.

The Duchess’ Wedding Dress

Waight Keller’s design for the Duchess’ wedding dress was not a complicated one: a sculptured, silk tulle dress that denoted her former life as a brilliant actor and her future life as a member of the British royal family.

In a visual sense, Meghan’s wedding dress appeared to nod to Audrey Hepburn’s wedding dress in Funny Face which is something of an old Hollywood glamour designed by Hubert de Givenchy himself.

At the time of Meghan’s wedding, Waight Keller declared that the wedding dress’s white veil was a vision she and the Duchess shared.

The wedding dress was richly embroidered with all fifty-three flowers of the Commonwealth countries along with flowers that represented Kensington Palace and Meghan’s home of California.

Emphasizing the significance of the Duchess of Sussex choosing her to design her wedding dress and the parallels between Meghan’s own change of life, the British-born designer said: “As a British designer at a Parisian haute couture house, I am extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

The 49-year-old designer on Friday posted a video on Instagram from Caraman, which is her haute couture autumn/winter women’s show held in July 2018 as well as a tribute to Hubert de Givenchy, with the caption: “With love, Clare.”

No one really knows what Waight Keller’s next move will be, especially with the ongoing pandemic which has pushed several fashion houses to make gowns and masks as a contribution to minimize the impact of the novel coronavirus.

The pandemic is also responsible for Givenchy’s cancellation of its women’s pre-spring collection. The fashion house will also not make an autumn/winter 2020 couture collection.