The Story Behind Meghan Markle's Favorite Slipper Shoe

Meghan Markle loves a good designer shoe. One of the shoe brands she wore during her Australia and New Zealand tour, Birdies, has seen a massive surge in their sales for their "Starling" slipper—a modern take on the smoking slipper in trendy velvet. Even better, you can still order the slipper in select sizes, for $120 to $140.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit New Zealand - Day 4

(Image credit: Pool/Samir Hussein)

By Katherine J. Igoe

published 24 January 2019

in News

Meghan Markle loves a good designer shoe—and who can blame her? The duchess and mom-to-be has a cool, edgy footwear style, most recently rocking the PVC and cow-print trends. One of the shoe brands she wore during her Australia and New Zealand tour, Birdies, has particularly felt the "duchess effect." Birdies saw a massive surge in their sales for their "The Starling" flat—a modern take on the slipper in velvet. People got the chance to talk to Birdies' president, Marisa Sharkey, who explained the backstory of Meghan's love for the brand. Even better, you can still order the slipper in select sizes and colors—for $120 to $140.

Apparently, Meghan was one of the first celebrities to wear Birdies after the brand debuted four years ago—way back when she was just Meghan Markle, activist and Suits actress.

BIRDIES The Starling Slipper

Birdies sent Meghan free shoes initially, but she apparently loved them so much that she started buying them for herself as well. Once the now-royal was spotted in public with them, the waitlist for the style grew to 15,000 people. "We sold out very quickly of our classic black style and we had people emailing every day to ask, ‘When are they coming back?’ We couldn’t have imagined anything like this."

Even though Meghan hasn't shied away from high, high heels during her pregnancy, the flats are perfect in case she wants to give her feet a rest while she's been making her most recent royal patronage visits.

Here's a look at Meghan wearing the shoes during a visit to the Rotorua's Redwoods Treewalk in New Zealand, for example:

Standing, Jeans, Walking, Fashion, Footwear, Denim, Photography, Shoe, Dress shirt, Gesture,

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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.