Cover Nicole Kidman in Chanel couture at the 2023 Met Gala: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty (Photo by Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images)
Nicole Kidman in Chanel couture at the 2023 Met Gala: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty (Photo by Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images)
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A fitting homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld, the archival piece was specially created for Kidman to wear in an epic perfume commercial
In 2004, Chanel produced one of the most expensive ads ever made starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Luhrmann. Made on a budget of US$33mil, Kidman and Luhrmann were riding high on the success of Moulin Rouge!, a spectacular musical that earned eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress.
"Because of Moulin Rouge!, Chanel was very aware of what a brilliant filmmaker Baz was and they asked him to make a small film of Nicole wearing the most beautiful dress that Karl designed," Anna Wintour told Vogue US. "Even though it was a small film, Baz and Karl and Nicole treated it like it was an epic five hour film. There were many fittings, many meetings, script discussions, and the opening itself was like the opening of Lawrence of Arabia."
Read more: Met Gala 2023: The most stylish Asian stars
Above Nicole Kidman reunites with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann at Met Gala 2023 (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Nicole Kidman reunites with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann at Met Gala 2023 (Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
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Indeed, the two-minute long ad had an epic vibe. The plot is a parallel of Moulin Rouge!'s premise of a bohemian poet falling in love with a glamorous courtesan. The ad opens with a panicked Kidman escaping from the bright lights of fame, the train of her Chanel dress trailing dramatically behind her. This is the same dress that Kidman revived for Met Gala 2023's Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. Made of pink silk tulle, it is embroidered with 250 pink ostrich feathers that made up the four-metre train, and over 3,000 silver crystals and sequins.
See also: Why is Karl Lagerfeld such a polarising fashion figure today?
Above The Chanel No.5 commercial with Nicole Kidman
"[Karl Lagerfeld} concocted this out of his head. I had the sketches as he was drawing it. I remember fitting it repeatedly," Kidman reminisced on the Met Gala 2023 red carpet. "My deep, deep love of Karl came through during this time together."
The couture gown holds up quite well 20 years later, something that Kidman acknowledged: "It's so whimsy and it's so light as a feather and unbelievably comfortable. It's all handmade. It's couture and that's what it should be," she gushed.
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Brian Cheong leads the watch (Tatler GMT) and jewellery content at Tatler Malaysia, combining sharp editorial insight with years of luxury lifestyle experience. A seasoned journalist in luxury watches based in Kuala Lumpur, Brian had previously helmed World of Watches, Men's Folio and Prestige Malaysia.
