True Friend Meghan Markle Once Threw a Party to Give Her Friends Clothes

Meghan Markle, when she hit it big as an actress, gave away a bunch of clothes to her friends. The appropriately titled "Sayonara Zara" party meant that Meghan gave away some of her more inexpensive closet items to her invited guests, kind of like a clothing swap but much, much better than that.

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The sliding scale of friendship runs from acquaintance (might text from time to time but rarely ever hang out with) all the way to best friend ever (go shopping together, grab drinks, and even talk to on the phone, shudder). But I'm pretty sure that if I had a friend who just hosted a party to give me free clothes, from Zara no less, it would break that scale entirely and I would be indebted to that person for the rest of my natural life. That's exactly what Meghan Markle did, according to E! News, when she hit it big as an actress.

The appropriately titled "Sayonara Zara" party meant that Meghan gave away some of her more inexpensive closet items to her invited guests, kind of like a clothing swap but much, much better than that. Greatest friend? Or greatest friend ever?

Interestingly, Kate Middleton still slips a little bit of Zara into her wardrobe from time to time, apparently. Meghan also works a little bit of affordable fashion for a high-low feel, including a cute $90 straw clutch from J. Crew that is now, sadly, sold out. The duchess and mom-to-be now dresses primarily in more high-end brands and sticks to some favorite designer labels like Aquazurra and Sarah Flint.

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Meanwhile, the duchess effect has now been influencing Zara. They began selling a very similar boat neck blazer to the Carolina Herrera skirt suit Meghan wore to 2018's Trooping the Colour.

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This new insight on Meghan's fashion priorities also puts a little context on the reports that Meghan's wardrobe might have cost as much as £400,000, according to the Daily Mail. I wonder at that number a bit, because isn't it very likely she's getting stuff by designers and isn't paying anything for some of those clothes? What we do know for sure, though, is that Meghan looooves her some high-end fashion.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.