During the Oscars ceremony, the actress gave a nod to Gabrielle Chanel, one of the first women to wear the men’s suit. In an exclusive interview, she confides.
“I liberated women’s bodies,” said Gabrielle Chanel. Kristen Stewart nominated for Best Actress at the 2022 Oscars for the film Spencer, paid a brilliant tribute to the audacity and “boyish style” of the designer, during the ceremony, on March 27 in Los Angeles. Satin microshorts, a black jacket and an open blouse in white muslin made up her outfit, created to measure by the studios of the French house. The actress said it was one of the most personal Chanel creations she had ever worn. “It’s obviously quite daring to ask Virginie Viard, who is so busy (…) to take the time to work on an outfit like this. But I didn’t want to wear an outfit that was already made, I wanted to feel like I was in second-skin clothing.
For this collaboration between the two women, Kristen Stewart followed the adage “less is more”: “I wanted to feel elegant, and the best way to do that is to feel good about yourself rather than an armor. I asked her for a simple outfit, and she obviously came up with the most refined and inspired version of it,” summarizes the actress. A request that resulted in a real creative dialogue with artistic director Virginie Viard. “I felt that I took her in a direction that she wouldn’t necessarily have taken directly, but also for me. We found ourselves in this particular collaboration. The result is a look of apparent simplicity, enhanced by remarkable pieces of jewelry.
Sparkling elegance
Indeed, Kristen Stewart’s plunging neckline revealed a white gold Chanel Haute Joaillerie necklace set with spinels, a fine stone, and diamonds, about which Tara Swennen, the actress’s personal stylist, explained: ” We loved how elegantly it poses and grabs attention on its own.” A Chanel “Première” watch as well as “personal rings, to bring him luck” were added to this dazzling adornment. But it is above all the house of Chanel that the actress considers her lucky star in these important moments of her career. “I feel very safe with Chanel. I can count on the house. (…) They have such a respect for art and for history, that they are the ideal partner to be sure that everything will be perfect during the red carpet”.
In a costume inspired by the men’s wardrobe, on her high heels, the actress was the perfect muse, dressed in the many codes of the house.
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The Chanel spirit
A long history of love and red carpets
“The first time I worked with my stylist, I was 15 or 16 years old, it was a preview in Toronto. And I wore a Chanel dress,” confides Kristen Stewart. Over the years and discussions, first with Karl Lagerfeld, then with Virginie Viard, Kristen Stewart has forged a special relationship at home. The Chanel ambassador proved once again at the Oscars how much she was in tune with the spirit of the latter, as well as with its artistic director. “They share the same love of art, elegance and a flair for fashion,” notes Tara Swennen. “We talk a lot about the fact that the house is a forerunner in change, at all times, but also today”. In a ceremony that gives pride of place to more traditional ball gowns, the actress dared to step aside, always with the same thirst for freedom as the Chanel house.
