Meghan posted this picture on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, in June 2016. It gave her 1.9 million Instagram followers a glimpse of her impressive shoe collection, which featured 39 designer pairs, neatly arranged side by side.
From £630 Christian Louboutin ‘Love Me’ pumps to £790 Miu Miu embellished satin pumps, £585 Gianvito Rossi Plexi sandals (with Perspex toes) to £650 Jimmy Choo suede booties, the range of styles was breathtaking.
Totting up those 39 pairs puts Meghan’s collection at around £20,000, and friends say there may be three times as many pairs in her wardrobe.
Meghan’s shoe collection – worth more than £20,000, that she shared online in 2016
Meghan’s shoes ooze sexiness — something Edgardo Osorio, the Colombian-born designer behind Aquazzura, one of her favourite brands, loves about the star.
‘She likes strappy, sophisticated, sexy shoes, which is very much our style,’ he explains. ‘Her look tends to be elegant, simple and sleek, and she always accentuates with a beautiful pair of shoes.
‘In the picture of her shoe wardrobe, I counted at least six of our pairs — including the £420 “Matilde” suede stilettos, the £600 “Amazon” sandals and the £490 “Wild Thing” fringed sandals. It’s wonderful she enjoys wearing them.’
Friends say she can’t get enough shoes and is always picking up new pairs, wherever she is in the world — whether for herself or for someone she knows.
‘I remember she was travelling in Iceland once and she sent me a picture of some shoes she’d seen and loved,’ Talia Brown, a friend and stylist who worked with Meghan in Toronto, says. ‘They were quite quirky strappy ones — she likes shoes that have some personality.
‘She actually bought me a pair of shoes once. She said she’d seen them and she knew they would be just right for me so she bought them on the spot. She is shoe mad.’
Like every other item of clothing she wears, Meghan’s footwear is chosen to make a statement — whether it’s adding a flash of colour to a dull outfit or showing the cheeky side of her personality.
When it comes to flats, Meghan swears by Sarah Flint, an LA-based shoe designer who counts Amal Clooney among her A-list fans.
She owns Sarah’s £254 ‘Natalie’ tan leather pumps, which she wore to the Invictus Games with Harry in 2017; her £254 ‘Emma’ leopard-print heels, which have become her go-to airport wear; and a pair of £180 ‘Grear’ strappy sandals.
Sarah, 30, who describes Meghan’s style as ‘kind of funky’ with ‘a cool twist’, has never met the royal bride-to-be, but says they have an email relationship and reveals that Meghan sends handwritten thank-you notes for every pair.
As for heels, Meghan loves a strappy sandal, and many of the shoes in her collection have ribbons that snake up her calves.
On Suits, the TV show she starred in until 2017, she ensured clothes were an integral part of her character Rachel Zane’s look. She loved delving into the wardrobe department’s shoe collection, regularly Instagramming the Louboutins she found there.
Nude: Meghan’s love of Christian Louboutin’s distinctive red-soled heels, worn here in New York in 2014, started while filming Suits
Racy: No missing Meghan in these black platform Christian Louboutins, worn at a USA Network event in May 2016
On parade: Nylon tights and elegant blue suede Manolo Blahnik BB pumps for the Commonwealth Service in March this year
Vampy: Aquazzura Amazon lace-up sandals worn at a dinner for her designer friend Roland Mouret in April 2016
Buckle my shoe: £350 Paramour heels by Tamara Mellon for the Commonwealth Youth Forum in London last month
Wild: Leopard print heels by one of Meghan’s favourite LA designers, Sarah Flint, New York, July 2016
Laced up: Caged Aquazzura nudes were a Toronto favourite for Meghan, worn here at a gallery event she attended in March 2016
High shine: Dazzling in Christian Louboutin Crystal Pigalle heels for an NBC event for Suits in New York in June 2012
Tying the knot: £420 stone-coloured point-toe Aquazurra Matilde heels for the engagement announcement with Harry in November 2017
Making a statement: Strappy ribbon heels at the UK premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in November 2013
Smooth style: Brown velvet Jimmy Choos while on a surprise visit to Belfast with Harry this March
Barely there: Another pair of beloved suede Manolo Blahniks for the Stephen Lawrence memorial service last month
Brand match: In Prada shoes for a Prada exhibition in New York in February 2015
Trusted favourites: These £489 Manolo Blahnik heels, worn three times this year, have become Meghan’s smart staples
Strapped in: Accentuating the ankle on the red carpet at an NBC Universal press tour in California in January 2014
Fashionably white: Statement stilettos at a party hosted by American designer Diane von Furstenberg in New York, July 2013
Towering: Meghan kept her balance on sky-high patent beige Jimmy Choos for a TV appearance in New York, July 2016
Why she loves her bags to be British
Meghan’s fascination with footwear is matched only by her obsession with bags and her expertise in choosing the right tote, holdall or clutch to put the perfect finishing touch to an outfit.
Tellingly, she chose to take a bag from Scottish brand Strathberry on one of her first official trips with Harry: here was Harry’s American-born fiancee declaring her love for the UK.
Strathberry isn’t the only British brand Meghan has championed. Visiting Cardiff in January, she toted a £295 green bag (pictured far left) by DeMellier London, an upmarket brand which funds vaccines for African children after every purchase.
More recently, on a trip to Northern Ireland in March, Meghan carried the ‘Bloomsbury’, a £175 leather bag by Charlotte Elizabeth, a designer from Hertfordshire, who launched her company with the help of The Prince’s Trust, the charity founded by Prince Charles.
Charlotte, 23, set up her business after being left temporarily paralysed by a life-threatening illness, and says Meghan’s support is ‘wonderful’.
‘I understand she was inspired by the story behind my business,’ Charlotte tells me. ‘I took along my handbag idea to The Prince’s Trust enterprise course in the spring of 2014. I’d left school aged 16 due to a heart operation.
‘The Prince’s Trust has been at the heart of this journey and changed my life for the better.’
Meghan knows what a statement sartorial pieces can make and her bag choices show a socially conscious, wholesome side to her personality.
They also hint at a love affair with her new home country. Meghan has a growing affection for British bag designers including Mulberry (she owns two of the £995 Bayswaters, which appeared in her collection just as her relationship with Harry was heating up) and Burberry (she has the £595 equestrian-inspired ‘Baby Bridle’ bag, pictured right).
It was no coincidence, either, that Meghan was photographed carrying a reusable bag from hip grocer Whole Foods Market on one of her first secret trips to London in November 2016 — although this bag’s message ‘Alleviating poverty worldwide’) was a little more overt.
Using her bags to send a message — and supporting causes she cares about, such as eco clothing brand Everlane — matters to Meghan. It’s a clever yet subtle way of showing she cares — without getting in the way of a carefully co-ordinated outfit.
Stepping into Di’s Nude Choos
Meghan has a penchant for nude heels and her Jimmy Choos — a £450 pair of ‘Anouk’ patent leather stilettos — are her go-tos for glam occasions, including a 2016 appearance on an American chat show, and paired with an eye-catching red Jill Stuart dress later that year.
Her love of nude is, of course, reminiscent of the Duchess of Cambridge, who at one time rarely strayed from her safe, L.K. Bennett ‘Sledge’ patent heels. But also, more poignantly, it’s a nod to Diana, who pioneered the look in the Nineties, visually lenghtening her legs with pale beige shoes when she wore one-coloured Versace or Catherine Walker shift dresses.
Like Diana, Meghan is also a fan of Tod’s, the classic Italian leather brand, and posted a photograph of herself wearing a £310 pair of cream Tod’s loafers at home in Toronto in July 2016.
Shoes are, almost certainly, something this effortlessly stylish pair would have had in common.
Meghan’s love of nude shoes is a nod to Diana, who pioneered the look in the Nineties, visually lenghtening her legs with pale beige shoes when she wore one-coloured Versace or Catherine Walker shift dresses
Monogram Meg: With initials like Meghan’s, it’s no wonder she’s into monogramming. Meghan’s had ‘MM’ stamped on items from handbags to phone cases. Her Hunting Season travel bag, left, is embossed with gold initials
Are these Cartier diamonds a pre-wedding gift from Harry?
Meghan has worn these glittering diamond studs from Cartier on three recent royal occasions, leading many to speculate that they may be a pre-wedding gift from her doting fiance — or, perhaps, the earrings she plans to wear on her wedding day (Kate, after all, wore a Cartier tiara on her big day).
She debuted the jewels last month, at an Invictus Games reception at Australia House, then wore them again for two memorial services in London. Suitably sombre, with a subtle glint, the Galanterie de Cartier earrings were the perfect choice for the occasions.
Each 18-carat white gold stud is set with a brilliant-cut diamond of between 0.2 and 0.4 carats and paved with yet more diamonds. They’re believed to be Meghan’s most expensive jewels to date; their five-figure price tag is certainly a step up from her High Street gems.
Meghan has worn these glittering diamond studs from Cartier on three recent royal occasions, leading many to speculate that they may be a pre-wedding gift from her doting fiance
She debuted the jewels last month, at an Invictus Games reception at Australia House, then wore them again for two memorial services in London
She loves mismatched earrings: Odd: In Cardiff in January, Meghan wore a £442 Zofia Day Dash stud in her right ear (top), and a £258 Gabriela Artigas Shooting Star stud in her left
On one hand a £32 ring, on the other a £122,500 sparkler
On one hand a £32 ring, on the other a £122,500 sparkler
They say you can tell a lot about a woman by the jewellery she wears. And jewellery has played a key role in Meghan’s evolving style, and in her relationship with Harry.
In her early days in the spotlight, Meghan didn’t tend to wear anything on her wrists, round her neck or in her ears. Her clothes and shoes were more than enough to turn heads — and her natural, effortless look doesn’t lend itself to fiddly chains or gems.
But she’s developed a definitive style. Her collection is delicate, relaxed, unostentatious, a contrast to the usual dazzlers royal women wear.
She prefers gold, especially rings and necklaces. A trademark Meghan look is the ring stack, which involves wearing two or three similarly shaped rings on top of one another — and much has been made of the fact she wears a £32 ring on her index finger (said to help self-esteem) and one on her thumb (a sign of dominance and ambition).
Meghan is fond of Missoma, a London-based brand stocked at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. When she wore their £45 18-carat gold ‘Interstellar’ ring in Edinburgh this year (pictured right), it sold out.
Recently, she’s shown a penchant for more expensive pieces — and not just her £122,500 engagement ring. New favourites are from Canadian jeweller Birks, including the diamond stacked rings pictured, worth £1,104 and £3,691. She was introduced to the brand by friend Jessica Mulroney while filming Suits in 2011.
Despite the elevated price tag, Eva Hartling, vice president of Birks, says Meghan’s choices are ‘very simple’. At 36, Meghan has a defined, distinctive style and, having been doing it all her life, she still buys most, if not all, of her jewellery herself.
‘Our jewellery is targeted at women who are powerful, successful, independent, who don’t necessarily want a man to buy them gifts,’ adds Eva. ‘This sums Meghan up.’
Her gift to herself: Diana’s watch!
After Diana’s death, her sons were asked to choose one of her possessions. William got her yellow gold Cartier Tank Francaise watch — a gift from her father — and Harry her sapphire ring; but after the ring ended up on Kate’s finger, it appeared the brothers had swapped.
Harry is reportedly planning to give Meghan his mother’s watch before the wedding, but she already has a £5,000 Cartier Tank Française, having bought it for herself in 2013 to mark the third season of Suits. ‘I had it engraved on the back, “To MM from MM” and I plan to give it to my daughter,’ she said in 2015.
Diana’s memory also lives on in Meghan’s trilogy engagement ring. Harry bought the large, central diamond in Botswana, but he used stones belonging to his late mother for the two on either side.
Jewellery experts suggest they may be from a suite of jewels given to the Princess of Wales for her wedding by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Her son designed his fiancee’s ring himself and asked court jeweller Cleave and Company to make it.
The dramatic ring, right, is worth an estimated £122,500.
Pair: Diana’s Cartier watch, left, and Meghan’s
The dramatic ring is worth an estimated £122,50