Kendall Jenner
From Keeping Up to the catwalk, Jenner's has been a whirlwind fashion world ascent. Since making her Chanel debut for Fall '14, the 19-year-old has seemingly never been far from Karl's thoughts. While her only opener/closer moment for the house thus far was sharing the spotlight with BFF Cara Delevingne for Métiers d'Art '15, we have no doubts that Jenner will soon be enjoying some time of her own.
Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigitalimages.com
Cara Delevingne
The Kaiser infamously dubbed Delevingne "not a standout beauty" last year, but it hasn't hurt her status at fashion's most famous house. Delevingne finds time in her busy schedule to open and close Chanel—from the hypermarché to Brasserie Gabrielle—often arm in arm with Karl himself, and star in the brand's campaigns.
Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com
Angela Lindvall
An all-American girl straight out of Oklahoma may seem an unlikely choice for a Chanel favorite, but with her tawny good looks and undeniable runway charm, Lindvall assumed favorite status at Chanel circa Y2K, starring in the house's memorably minimalist Fall '01 imagery. Recent years have seen Lindvall shying away from catwalk work—making her Chanel cameos (Métiers d'Art '14) all the happier.
Photo: Marcio Madeira
Inès de la Fressange
Long before there was Kendall and Cara, there was Inès de la Fressange, Karl's most iconic muse. The house's first exclusive model, this quintessentially Parisian beauty reigned supreme over Chanel runways until her infamous 1989 falling out with Karl. The cause of the schism? De La Fressange's decision to lend her look to Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic. Amends were eventually made more than 20 years later. De la Fressange turned up on Chanel's Spring 2011 runway, aged 51 and looking as good as ever.
Photo: AFP / Getty Images
Gemma Ward
Miuccia Prada may have made her, but Ward owes plenty to Uncle Karl, too. The doll-faced catwalker opened many a show for Chanel in the mid-to-late aughts, but made headlines of a different sort when she debuted a curvier figure, wearing a denim bikini in Spring 2008.
Photo: FirstView.com
Irina Lazareanu
With her sulky catwalk presence, Irina Lazareanu was an ubiquitous industry figure in the aughts. She didn't bring only her dolly bird looks to Chanel, though—Karl also tapped the sometimes-songstress for a mini set at a 2007 bash for the brand.
Photo: FirstView.com
Freja Beha Erichsen
Androgynes are thin on the ground at ever-ladylike Chanel—Freja Beha Erichsen being one notable exception. Since being tapped by Karl way back when, she's served as an opener, a closer, and a campaign face.
Photo: FirstView.com
Ashleigh Good
To make a catwalk turn in one's third trimester is no mean feat—let alone one for Chanel. But the angelic Ashleigh Good was just the girl to do it, wearing white and walking down the aisle with Karl on her arm at the brand's Fall '14 Couture outing.
Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com
Heidi Mount
The name Heidi Mount may not loom as large as some of Karl's other catwalk muses, but since Spring 2006, the Utah-born former Mormon has been a Chanel regular—and in this business, there's a lot to be said for longevity.
Photo: FirstView.com
Stella Tennant
Aristocratic beauty Stella Tennant signed an exclusive contract with the house in 1996 (remember her turn in a barely-there bikini with those interlocking C's?), and since then has remained an on-again, off-again fixture—even being tapped by Karl to play Lady de Grey in his 2013 short Once Upon a Time.
Photo: Alessandro Garofalo / Indigitalimages.com
Devon Aoki
With her heart-shaped face and not-of-this-world looks, Devon Aoki was made for couture work. It's little wonder her turns as a Chanel bride are some of the brand's most memorable.
Photo: FirstView.com
Saskia de Brauw
Sophisticated, strong, and singular, Saskia de Brauw is a Chanel muse with good reason. The brand's Fall 2011 couture outing, where the Dutch catwalker opened in a sculptural take on That Suit and closed as a bewitching bride, remains one for the books.
Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalteam | GoRunway
Claudia Schiffer
From Guess girl to Chanel muse ain't a bad move to make. After the departure of Inès de la Fressange from Chanel's ranks, Karl tapped countrywoman Claudia Schiffer to bring her unapologetic brand of blond ambition to his storied house. And rarely has that little tweed jacket looked so decidedly sexed-up.
Photo: Getty Images
Linda Evangelista
After meeting Karl in 1985, Linda Evangelista's career would never be the same. Serving as a Chanel muse opened up a world of opportunity for the chameleonlike catwalker—and she, in turn, brought the hard-edged, modern glamour that would come to be synonymous with the house in the early '90s.
Photo: Courtesy of Chanel
The Lagerfeld seal of approval will get you a lot in life. Think of the designer’s chosen few over the years, from Chanel’s elder stateswomen (Inès, Claudia, Linda) to the 21st-century heirs at the house that Coco built (Cara, Saskia, and, yes, Kendall). On the eve of the New York restaging of the brand’s Métiers d’Art ’15 show, we’re looking back at a handful of our own favorites to take center stage at Chanel. Click through the slideshow above to see them all.
—Kristin Anderson, Style.com
