Virginie Viard described her Fall 2023 couture collection for Chanel as “a portrait of delicate yet bold femininity.” But for brand ambassador and longtime fan of the house Penélope Cruz, the collection was about more than just femininity—it represented a girlhood dream fulfilled.
At Tuesday night’s 14th Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, the Ferrari star wore a custom Chanel couture gown that combined looks 14 and 41 from the Fall 2023 show with an ivory embroidered crop top and a white radzimir skirt with flounces. The look was styled with the house’s Tweed Ruban earrings and a Tweed Icône Ruban ring with white gold, diamonds, and cultured pearls. In an interview after the event, she told me the look reminded her of being a little girl and feeling the flitting butterflies of a first-time love.
“I always have a crush on the dresses that combine very big skirts with very, very tight-on-the waist tops. I think it’s so cool and timeless and elegant,” Cruz said. “It always makes me feel so lucky, as it was my dream as a little girl to be able to wear some of these Chanel pieces. The fact that they created this look just for me is even more of a dream come true.”
But the Oscar winner is also the first to admit her relationship with the brand has felt like a dream come true since 1999, when she attended her first Chanel show, where she met Karl Lagerfeld for the first time. Over the years, Cruz has gone on to wear signature tweed sets, bespoke backless gowns, and archival masterpieces, like the hooded gown she wore to last May’s Met Gala, originally seen on French supermodel Inès de la Fressange over two decades ago. This latest custom couture award-season look is just one more in her already expansive Chanel canon.
It took a few short conversations to land on Tuesday night’s look, Cruz said—the struggle was choosing from so many beautiful options. “But as soon as I saw the first sketches, I fell in love with it. When they were making it, we thought maybe it would be for a premiere,” she said, “but it ended up being for the Governors Awards and was so perfect for the occasion.” It’s the kind of thing she couldn’t have even fathomed as a little girl, but that her younger self would certainly be crushing on, too.
Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.
