Penelope Cruz Makes Runway Debut at Karl Lagerfeld’s Last Chanel Show
On Tuesday, March 5, Penelope Cruz made her runway debut at Karl Lagerfeld’s final Chanel fashion show. Dressed in white from head-to-toe, the actress made a surprise appearance in the honor of the late designer’s last collection for the legendary French fashion house. The Loving Pablo star, who joined the Chanel familia last year, strutted the snow-covered runway with a single white rose in memory of Lagerfeld.
The longtime creative director of Chanel passed away on February 19 at the age of 85, after battling pancreatic cancer. Rumors of the designer’s spiraling health began circulating when he missed Chanel’s 2019 spring/summer haute couture show in January.
Soon after news broke of Lagerfeld’s death, Cruz took to Instagram to remember and mourn the loss of fashion’s biggest icon. “There will always be a place in my heart for you, my dear Karl. I will never forget your kindness, your generosity and how much we have laughed together … I will truly treasure those moments forever. You have inspired us in so many ways! Thank you, maestro. I love you,” the actress wrote, alongside a heart emoji.
Back in July, the mother-of-two joined the likes of Margot Robbie, Keira Knightley, and Kristen Stewart as the new Chanel ambassador. The Oscar-winning actress headlined the brand’s Cruise campaign in a series of nautical-themed black-and-white photos — packed with berets, tweed pieces, and evening gowns — shot by Lagerfeld himself.
“It’s such an iconic brand and Karl is a genius, and I’ve been admiring everything he’s done since I was a little girl, so it’s such a pleasure working with him. He’s like the king of fashion and we had a really, really interesting photo shoot, so to be in front of his camera is an adventure,” the actress told WWD.
Of course, the Spanish beauty is no stranger to the iconic brand. Not only did Cruz attend her first Chanel fashion show back in 1999 (yes, we were all little munchkins at that time), throughout her career the 44-year-old star has worn several pieces created by Lagerfeld, including a black floor-length gown for the 2008 Oscars.
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