Penélope Cruz Made Her Runway Debut in Karl Lagerfeld’s Final Chanel Show at Paris Fashion Week

Penélope Cruz picked quite an occasion to make her Fashion Week runway debut, when she turned up on the Chanel runway on Tuesday at Paris Fashion Week to honor Karl Lagerfeld. The final Chanel show in which Karl Lagerfeld had a hand (it is officially co-designed by Lagerfeld and his successor Virginie Viard) brought tears to the eyes of the models as they walked down the winter wonderland runway lined with snow-covered chalets. Cruz wore a head-to-toe white ensemble with a black bow, and carried a white rose in her hand to honor the late designer, as she was accompanied by Chanel muses Kaia Gerber and Cara Delevingne. Though it may be hard to believe, Cruz had never walked on an official Fashion Week runway until now.

The actress, who was named a face of Chanel last summer, shared her heartbreak over the loss of Lagerfeld last month via Instagram. “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,” Cruz wrote in her caption of a photo of herself with Lagerfeld.

From New York Fashion Week to Paris Fashion Week, it’s been quite a month for the surprise cameo. Cruz joins a host of other models and actresses to have made some unexpected modeling appearances this fashion month, such as Cristina Ricci who modeled in Batsheva’s fall presentation, Mickey Rourke and his dog at Philipp Plein, Karlie Kloss, Rowan Blanchard, Ali Michael, and Pat Cleveland, who showed up on the runways for Hellessy, Naeem Khan, and Zendaya’s Tommy Hilfiger collection (with a little help from fellow ’70s icons Grace Jones and Beverly Johnson).

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