For Southend-on-Sea-raised Nathalie Emmanuel, Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard’s choice of Marseille for her Cruise 2024/2025 runway show on Thursday, located on the rooftop of the Cite Radieuse (a modern apartment complex also known as Le Corbusier), couldn’t have been a more fitting seaside setting.
‘I was inspired by the codes of lifestyle, of everyday life, and by all the things that invite movement. The sea and the wind made me want to play with wetsuits,’ Viard explained in yesterday’s show notes of the choice of Marseille, which explains the collections beach-inspired references, from swimsuits and broderie anglaise twin sets to crochet Bermuda shorts and terrycloth platform flip-flops.
‘I thought it was really cool, vibrant, fun and light,’ Emmanuel told ELLE UK of her debut appearance on the Chanel FROW. ‘It felt very traditionally Chanel, but also modern and artistic. It was really eclectic with lots of colour, fresh creams and white, and sparkly details.
‘My favourite look was a knitted cardigan and knitted cream set. Underneath the model wore body jewellery that looked like a fish net covered in different medallions, as if they’d been caught in the net,’ she noted of charm-adorned open chainmail halter top, which has found itself at the top of our summer wishlists. ‘It thought it was such a lovely blend of something quite glamorous juxtaposed with something cosy, warm and comfortable.’
FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE
For the show, attended by Chanel favourites including Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink, Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, and actor Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel chose to style a pink, black and grey tweed cardigan over a black lace mini dress. ‘It was really cool because you had all this texture and metallics on the front of the dress,’ she said. ‘I wore platform shoes with a patent brown toe, and stacks of rings with the Chanel logo on them.
‘In terms of hair, I decided to have fun with my curls. I wore my natural hair, as it mirrored the texture of the dress, and we did a little kissing curl which was an ode to the Chanel "C" logo. For my make-up, I wanted really natural skin, so my make-up artist Khela used browns to warm up my face.’
Emmanuel will return to France to attend the Cannes Film Festival later this month for her upcoming film, Megalopolis. Fans of the title which know that the idea for the project has been working away in director Francis Ford Coppola’s head for almost half his life, and stars Adam Driver as an ‘idealistic architect and artist planning to rebuild a city that has fallen to ruins’, per Vanity Fair, and Emmanuel ‘as the socialite daughter of his nemesis, a corrupt mayor (Giancarlo Esposito), who likes his municipal kingdom the way it is’. Caught between the two men in her life, Coppola has said that Emmanuel's character is forced to ‘discover what she truly believes humanity deserves’.
A teaser for the project was released earlier this week, but details for the film are very much still under wraps. ‘What can I tell you?’ the actor joked about the film, adding: ‘I saw the movie last week and it just felt like a very bold and artistic [film that’s] front-footed and asking bold questions. It feels very courageous in the sort of epic and grandness of it all. I've never seen anything like this movie before, which in this modern day of cinema, is quite rare.' As for what we can expect from her red carpet wardrobe at the festival, Emmanuel remained shtum. ‘I know that it's going to be fabulous,’ she teased.
Known for a rich career trajectory that has seen Emmanuel traverse from television, in roles in Hollyoaks and Game of Thrones, to blockbuster films like Fast & Furious 7, Emmanuel opened up about her process when choosing her next project. ‘I actively try and look for diverse roles and genres, whether a sci-fi and thriller or horror, action, comedy or romantic drama,’ she explained. ‘I'm very open because it really boils down to the character and the story, and whether I feel excited and connected to it.
‘I’m just a girl from the small seaside town in the UK so for the trajectory of my career and my life is always slightly surreal and surprising. As the years go on and I’m just keeping my head down, working hard, challenging myself and building up my experience, not just in my roles and in my career, but also in my fashion choices. I like pushing myself in a new direction, trying something new, and being a little bit less afraid to try new things. That comes with age and trusting yourself a bit more.’
Last year, Emmanuel mixed up her look, dyeing her short natural hair a copper hue, which she said has given her a new sense of expression. ‘I don't really find myself being led too strongly by trends… since cutting my hair I’ve given myself a lot of freedom to play with colour and the length of it,' she added. 'I’d like to go much shorter at some point and dye it different colours.'
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
