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Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, may have glided onto the stage at the 2025 TIME100 Summit with regal poise and her ever-supportive husband Prince Harry in tow — but it was her linen ensemble, not her luminous joy, that got the internet truly buzzing.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on 23 April 2025 in New York City. Picture: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME
Meghan’s “Crumpled Chic” at the 2025 Times100 Summit this week.
Reports from the Fashion Trenches: We take a look at the fashion fuss.
The moment was golden: Meghan, in her first major public appearance of the year, opened up during her interview about her newfound joy, declaring, “I never imagined I would feel this grateful at this point in my life, and I truly do.”
She spoke of happy kids, loving partners (cue Harry’s soft smile from stage left), and the everyday milestones of motherhood—including the news that five-year-old Prince Archie is about to lose his first tooth. Royal teeth and royal tears — sweet, right?
But while Meghan shared her heartfelt moments, the fashion world was busy… having a meltdown.
Slouchy Chic suit
The Duchess stepped out in a beige-toned, linen Ralph Lauren pantsuit that was meant to scream “quiet luxury” but instead whispered, “I forgot to iron”. The suit—an almost sold-out piece from the designer’s latest line—featured wide-legged trousers and a slightly oversized blazer.
Think slouchy-chic meets boardroom brunch.
But according to online critics, the only meeting happening here was between linen and chaos.
The fit? “Too baggy,” sniffed one fashion purist. “Unironed and unimpressive,” said another. And one particularly savage comment declared: “Sorry, Daily Mail, that is not chic. That’s a crumpled, screwed-up mess and an insult to Ralph Lauren.”
Ouch.
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Ann gets it right
But before you clutch your pearls or your steaming wands, let’s take a breath.
Because in the same breathless scroll through fashion Twitter (or is it still X?), many netizens leapt to Meghan’s defence. They labelled the look “effortless,” “on-trend,” and part of the growing wave of “dad-pants domination,” where loose silhouettes and laid-back tailoring reign.
And let’s not forget—just weeks ago, the ever-flawless Actress Anne Hathaway attended the Ralph Lauren 2025 Fall collection in a near-identical suit, adding distressed sequinned denim and a high ponytail for good measure.
That look went viral for all the right reasons.
So what gives?
Turns out, Meghan was actually on the pulse of where 2025 fashion is going: structured softness.
Office wear that lounges
Power suits that feel like pyjamas but photograph like prestige TV.
And if your linen looks lived-in? That’s a feature, not a flaw.
(Although yes, Duchess, a handheld steamer wouldn’t have hurt.)
Meghan’s fashion misstep—or moment, depending on your taste—tells us one thing: we’re in the era where fashion is less about perfection and more about how confidently you carry the crease.
The new trend? Lived-in luxury.
Corporate casual. And the slow, glorious revenge of wrinkled fabric.
So while the duchess may not have won everyone’s approval, she’s aligned with a movement that says: Yes, I can slay a keynote in something that doesn’t cut off my circulation.
And that, dear reader, is fashion-forward—whether you like it or not.
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