On Tuesday morning the fashion set and a host of stylish stars gathered to pay tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld at his Chanel swan song.
Following Lagerfeld’s death on February 19, the autumn/winter 2019 show at Paris Fashion Week marked the iconic designer's last collection for the brand, which he was at the helm of for over three decades.
Guests arrived at Le Grand Palais to find that it had been transformed into a winter wonderland surrounded by mountains, wooden chalets and a thick layer of snow.
On each seat sat an illustration of Lagerfeld (in his recognisable monochrome outfit and sunglasses) and Coco Chanel with the poignant words "the beat goes on...".
From Naomi Campbell and Kristen Stewart to Claudia Schiffer and Janelle Monae, the front row was lined with a host of Lagerfeld's muses from over the years.
The show began with models emerging to join in for a one-minute silence in honour of Lagerfeld. The catwalk then filled with Lagerfeld's favourite ambassadors from over the years with Cara Delevingne opening the show in a monochrome ensemble consisting of a houndstooth coat, grid print jumpsuit and matching hat in Chanel's signature tweed.
Actress Penélope Cruz also made her catwalk debut, walking the runway in a bridal look and holding a single white rose, followed by Kaia Gerber, one of Lagerfeld's last collaborators for his eponymous brand.
For the finale, models walked arm-in-arm to a standing ovation as David Bowie's hit Heroes blared through the venue. The same music was played during his final Fendi show last week in Milan, undoubtedly a parting instruction from Lagerfeld himself.
Read our full Chanel show report here.
