In her recent Bloomberg interview, Meghan Markle suggested that she would include fashion “in the mix” for her fledgling brand As Ever. Very ambitious, considering that her style is more mood board than masterpiece

In a breathtaking display of relatable spontaneity, Meghan Markle took Bloomberg’s Emily Chang out for lunch, with a camera crew in tow. She had been interviewed by Ms Chang for ‘The Circuit’ show, and half way through, the host declared that it was the “perfect time for some fresh air”. The duo, in a contrived display of chumminess, descended upon Santa Barbara’s Third Window Brewery that Ms Chang described as “a great local spot”. They sat outside, with the tin-shack-like exterior serving as a symphony of simplicity, perhaps reflecting her understated life. It was lunch that won’t alienate the TV homemaker’s seemingly many fans: beer and burger—smashed, Oklahoma style. It had the emotional depth of a smartphone with 1% of power left.

To match the setting, Ms Markle dressed causally: a baggy, very vanilla white shirt—in style and colour, sleeves pushed up to the elbow, and shirt tails left untucked over skinny—very skinny—jeans. Was her stylist Bart Simpson? Like the beef patty she was excited about, the pretense was flattened under the weight of her brand. She tried to be a duchess who aims for the mundane (she even took a queue number!), but she offered, instead, a masterclass in exertion. Effortless ease was hiding, like the sun was obscured that day. When they tucked into their lunch, she said: “We’re human, we eat. It’s not always going to be elegant and beautiful.” As they chomped and mmmm-ed their way through the burger, Ms Chang asked her interviewee: “If you had total anonymity, what would you do?” A wasted rhetorical question. “I would go grocery shopping every day,” came the swift, exaggerated reply. “I miss grocery shopping so much”.

During the sit-down portion (sans food) of the show proper, the interviewer asked Ms Markle what else was on the horizon, and she said, after declaring she would not do anything in hospitality, “I’m open to the possibility as to what can happen, certainly to the expansion of As Ever. I would not put beauty or fashion out of the mix. Those are things people associate with me.” It is a fascinating study of self-confidence for one whose persona is not deeply rooted in reality. Ms Chang offered data that befitted a Bloomberg show: one jewellery brand, Valencia Key saw an “11,000% spike” in sales after Ms Markle wore one of their pendants. There was also mention of the website, What Meghan Wore and her ShopMy account, but no explanation as to why her supposed popularity immediately equates to a certain fashion status for her. Or, why clout correlates to couture.

Yet, her style is apparently so intimidating that it makes some journalists tremble. In a social media trailer to promote that edition of ‘The Circuit’ featuring the duchess, Ms Chang, spoke to the camera while her make-up was getting done: “Talking about the pressure choosing an outfit.” She then emerged in a bright blue shell top and matching slacks, looking like a Thai hiso (high society) newbie. This time she calms herself: “It’s a set. There’s not too much to think about, which is giving me peace.” It was only Meghan Markle she was meeting, not Anna Wintour. When the interview ran, it was clear that both women had worked out their outfits prior, or at least how to be colour-coordinated. Her interviewee was as bright as Big Bird, in a yellow that is classic counterpoint to that blue, offering a dynamic and balanced contrast. Two chromatically compatible sisters.

Ms Chang mentioned the “Meghan Effect” in the interview. It is hard to think that she could also be referring to the intimidation she felt. It is startling that one woman of no immense fashion credibility can cast such a regrettable prologue on another before their meeting. But all could have been scripted. In Ms Markle’s stock-photo world, nothing is left to chance. Every moment, every outfit, every seemingly spontaneous quip is a calculated move in a grander strategy of brand mediocrity. It is hard to see her style as innate, unlike her sister-in-law, Catherine, The Princess of Wales. In contrast, Ms Markle’s is a calculated choice, designed to convey a specific, highly controlled message of effortlessness, as relatable as a bottle of dehydrated and shrivelled ‘flower sprinkles’.

All these contradictions reveal a conflicted brand, a fascinating study of a public figure who exists as a paragon of paradoxes. And one who must continually bask in the platitudes of others. In the first episode of the second season of the much-maligned Netflix series Love, Meghan, the hostess-with-the-mostest invited some of her “friends” to cook, craft, and sup with her. One of them, her make-up artist Daniel Martin, excitedly blurted after indulging in the elevated campfire treat of toasted marshmallow, chocolate, between graham crackers: “This is like the chicest S’more moment you’ll ever fucking have.” Mr Martin was indirectly saying that Meghan Markle is chic because she is the source of the consumable chicness. In the end, they made their own S’mores; they made their own authenticity, too.