Penélope Cruz in Chanel Haute Couture and Chanel High Jewellery at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/WireImage)

At the Venice premiere, Penélope Cruz looked enchanting in a look taken from the Chanel Fall-Winter 2021/22 Haute Couture collection, a long dress in black mikado with ecru silk tulle petticoat delicately embellished with petal flounces. The dress required 300 hours to create. Adding to her glamour were the finest pieces from Chanel’s high jewellery collection, namely the “Signature ultime” earrings in 18-karat white gold and diamonds from the Signature de CHANEL high jewellery collection, the “Curved Feather” ring in 18-karat white gold and diamonds from the Plume de CHANEL high jewellery collection, and more prominently, the “Jazz” bracelet in 18-karat white gold, diamonds and black spinels from the Café Society high jewellery collection.

“I relate to Virginie Viard because she designs thinking about women, not thinking about herself, Penélope shares. “She has amazing taste, I love what she likes, but she is very generous when she’s creating. She’s thinking about what’s beautiful but also about what’s practical and what will make you feel good when wearing it. It’s not a pose. She really is rock ’n’ roll and I love that side of her. And I love that she cannot handle compliments. When I get close to her after a show, when I start complimenting her, she blushes. I love humble people, hard workers. She’s more Chanel than anybody because she’s been there for more than 30 years, being Karl’s right arm. I could not imagine anyone better to fill this position today and she’s creating incredible collections. She just represents the essence of Chanel. She’s Chanel in every way, and at the same time, every single piece she creates is completely new.”