This afternoon in London, the Duchess of Sussex made her first public appearance since giving birth. She chose the eve of London Fashion Week to launch her Smart Set capsule fashion collection in collaboration with the charity Smart Works and major British fashion purveyors.
She has joined forces with Marks & Spencer, John Lewis department store, Jigsaw and designer Misha Nonoo, the friend who is credited with introducing Markle to Prince Harry via a blind date, to create the Smart Set collection of classic workwear options, including a white shirt, trousers, a blazer, a dress and a large leather bag.
The mission of the Smart Works charity is to empower disadvantaged women with the confidence to attend a job interview and enter the workforce by dressing them in a work-appropriate outfit. So for every Smart Set item bought over the course of a two-week initiative, another will be donated to the charity, which will equip women in need with the workwear essentials. “Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story,” said the Duchess, “it reminds us we are in it together.
For the press conference and photo call today, Markle teamed the Smart Set white shirt by Misha Nonoo ($155) with slim black pants by Jigsaw ($150) from the five-piece line that she helped conceive. She completed the outfit with was a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s suede BB pumps in deep tan, which sell for $625 and higher, depending on materials.
A Smart Set crepe shift dress from Marks & Spencer is available in red, black and blue. Priced at around $25 and in U.S. sizes 4 to 22, it is both wallet friendly and inclusive. There is also a handsome leather tote bag at John Lewis. Available in black and brown, it retails at around $135. The final item is a black fitted blazer from Jigsaw ($150).
Speaking to Vogue in the September issue, the Duchess, who has been a patron of the Smart Works charity since January, said she noticed that clothing donated “can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colors, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.”
“The reason I was drawn to Smart Works [charity] is that it re-frames the idea of charity as community, which, for me, is incredibly important: It’s a network of women supporting and empowering other women in their professional pursuits.”
With Rihanna’s fierce Fenty lingerie show earlier this week, which featured women of all shapes and sizes, female empowerment and inclusivity have been high on the New York Fashion Week agenda, too.
