Florence Pugh, Naomi Ackie Take In Valentino’s Cinematic Château de Chantilly Show

Rhonda Richford
·3 min read
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MAGIC HOUR: As fashion show backdrops go, the soaring spire of Château de Chantilly is pretty cinematic. The castle wowed guests at the Valentino couture show Wednesday night, as the golden hour sunset cast a magical light.

“They understand spectacle,” said actor and playwright Jeremy O. Harris. ”Also one of Moliere’s first plays premiered here, so there is some good theater history and I’m very excited about that.”

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It was his first time attending a Valentino show and meeting designer Pierpaolo Piccioli. He selected a crisp white coat over a sleek black suit for a monochrome look that suited the breezy evening. The “Emily in Paris” star was also catching up with pals. “Little Women” star Florence Pugh, and YouTuber Emma Chamberlain were on the guest list.

“I’m having some good times, chilling with Florence, seeing Emma. There’s a lot of good people around,” Harris said of the guests that made the trek to the destination-but-not-a-destination show two hours outside of Paris.

If Valentino set the stage, Pugh knew how to milk it. She was wearing a sheer lavender gown with a flowing train, and had fun flipping, flaring and fluffing it in the sunset light for some dramatic pics.

Baz Luhrmann was also directing some fashion scenes, helping guest adjust their outfits. The “Elvis” director has become a front row regular in recent seasons, and praised the show for its execution.

“It was an exquisite piece of opera really, it was so exquisitely beautiful,” he said. “It was a big risk to bring everyone out here to be in the clutches of the weather, which could have gone badly, but then to have the most perfect light. Then of course he had the clothes.”

The Oscar nominee played coy when asked if he plans to direct a fashion film. “Such an interesting question,” he mused, before deflecting: “Is that the sound of the party?”

Naomi Ackie said she’s been on holiday since her trip to the Cannes Film festival in May, where she won the Chopard Trophée award. The “Whitney Houston” actress has a history with the house.

“My first couture fashion show was Valentino and it was a huge moment for me, because I’ve always loved couture and had such huge respect for it and to be able to go to Valentino was a huge deal for me,” she said.

“I think I’ve been too nervous to actually look where I am because I’ve been just trying to focus on looking nice,” she said of the striking setting. The actress was wearing a short suit jacket and tie, with a full length skirt.

After a summer of “chilling out,” Ackie will get behind the keyboard to finish writing her first screenplay. “It’s really hard, like really, really hard. It’s harder than I thought it would be,” she said of the process. “So fingers crossed, wish me luck.”

Chamberlain was carrying two Valentino V handbags that coordinated with her pink outfit. “I need a lot of space but the tiny bag look is so good, so this is like everything you need and more,” she said. She keeps her phone and camera in the larger bag, and her lipstick in the smaller one.

“The setting is so elegant and romantic and beautiful, and all the looks matched that energy,” Chamberlain added of the show.

“Crash Landing on You” actress Son Ye-jin made her way to France for her first fashion show appearance since having a baby last fall, with other guests including “And Just Like That” star Nicole Ari Parker, singer Raye and rapper Saint Jhn.

After the show, guests made their way to the castle’s gardens. Pugh removed her shoes and carried her train as she hung out with mom Deborah Mackin, while Ackie and Harris danced the night away.

With contributions from Joelle Diderich

Launch Gallery: Front Row at Valentino Couture Fall 2023

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