Even Clare Waight Keller didn't know Meghan Markle was attending The Fashion Awards – and she designed her gown for the event!
Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller was even more surprised than you when Meghan Markle – her most famous client – presented her trophy at The Fashion Awards on Monday night… even though she unknowingly designed the dress Meghan wore to the ceremony.
Speaking to Grazia backstage at The Fashion Awards, at London's Royal Albert Hall, Clare said, "I'm not joking, it was a complete and genuine surprise. I really did not know she was coming tonight at all! I was actually fitting her for the dress last week and she said, 'Oh I'm going to this thing next week, I think it's Monday or Tuesday night, I have to check my calendar.' I just did not think anything of it. Then she walked in!"
Meghan presented Clare with the award for British Designer of the Year Womenswear, after the Givenchy artistic director designed her wedding dress for her nuptials to Prince Harry, so you could say it's been a big year for both of them.
"I've had the most extraordinary year," Clare told us. "Half of it no-one even knew we were working together, until the big event happened in May. Since then it's just been so special to work with someone who's incredibly genuine and kind. [Meghan] has really embraced the type of style that I embody. It's been an incredible year for her."
And Clare has no plans to stop working with the Duchess now that the wedding is out of the way. When we asked if they had anymore outfits in the pipeline, Clare said, "Oh yes, I hope so. It's a relationship that's just starting and I think between the two of us we've got such an innate understanding of each other. I think going through such a personal experience, like the wedding dress, you can never lose that connection with the person you work with on it. I was really so honoured tonight that she presented my award."
Click here for the full list of winners from The Fashion Awards
The Fashion Awards 2018: Red Carpet
1 of 68Kaia Gerber
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2 of 68British Fashion Council Chair Stephanie Phair and Chief Executive Caroline Rush
3 of 68Reece King
4 of 68Karen Elson
5 of 68Matty Healy
6 of 68Aquaria
7 of 68Suzy Menkes
8 of 68Cindy Crawford
9 of 68Brooke Shields
10 of 68Lady Amelia Windsor
11 of 68Edie Campbell
12 of 68Carine Roitfeld
13 of 68Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall
14 of 68Lara Stone
15 of 68Lizzy Jagger and Jerry Hall
Lizzy Jagger and Jerry Hall wear Atelier Swarovski Jewellery
16 of 68Martha Hunt
17 of 68David and Victoria Beckham
18 of 68Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts in Richard Quinn with Swarovski Crystals and Atelier Swarovski Jewellery
19 of 68Jenna Coleman
20 of 68Molly Goddard
21 of 68Roksanda Ilinicic
22 of 68Dina Asher-Smith
23 of 68Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
24 of 68Jack Whitehall
25 of 68Alek Wek
Alek Wek in Custom Emilia Wickstead with Swarovski Crystals
26 of 68Yasmin Sewell
27 of 68Ellie Goulding
Ellie Goulding in Custom A.W.A.K.E. with Swarovski Crystals and Atelier Swarovski Jewellery
28 of 68Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris wears Atelier Swarovski Jewellery
29 of 68Rosamund Pike
30 of 68Laura Bailey
31 of 68Eleanor Tomlinson
32 of 68Mert & Marcus
33 of 68Emilia Wickstead
34 of 68Josephine de la Baum
35 of 68Kendall Jenner
36 of 68Erin O'Conner
37 of 68Rita Ora
38 of 68Jess Glynne
39 of 68Alexa Chung
40 of 68Lana Del Rey
41 of 68Sara Sampaio
42 of 68Carey Mulligan
43 of 68Josephine Skriver
44 of 68Liv Tyler
45 of 68Alessandro Michele
46 of 68Liam Payne
47 of 68Kristin Scott Thomas
48 of 68Jourdan Dunn
49 of 68Arizona Muse
50 of 68Doutzen Kroes
51 of 68Suki Waterhouse and Georgia May Jagger
52 of 68Neelam Gill
53 of 68Bar Refaeli
54 of 68Paloma Faith
55 of 68Olivia Palermo
56 of 68Cindy Bruna
57 of 68Poppy Delevingne
58 of 68Virgil Abloh
59 of 68Winnie Harlow
60 of 68Kate Moss
61 of 68Samantha Cameron
62 of 68Leomie Anderson
Leomie Anderson wears Atelier Swarovski Jewellery
63 of 68Dilone
64 of 68Uma Thurman
65 of 68Penelope Cruz
Penelope Cruz in Atelier Swarovski Jewellery
66 of 68Andreas Kronthaeler and Vivienne Westwood
67 of 68Saoirse Ronan
68 of 68