Chanel honours late Karl Lagerfeld with minute silence at snow-covered Paris Fashion Week show

Cara Delevingne​ led the lineup of models in an emotional finale

Chanel paid homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld on Tuesday morning by beginning its highly-anticipated Paris Fashion Week show with a minute’s silence.

Lagerfeld, who died on 19 February aged 85, had been creative director at the luxury French fashion house for more than 30 years.

Under his reign, the brand became synonymous with unbridled grandeur, complete with opulent accessories, A-list muses, and spectacular catwalk settings.

The show, which debuted Chanel’s autumn/winter 2019 collection, is the last to be overseen by Lagerfeld, with the help of his successor, Virginie Viard.

From the winter wonderland-inspired set and the emotional finale to the starry front row and unexpected runway stars, here’s everything you need to know about Karl Lagerfeld’s final Chanel show.

Guests were transported to a snow-covered village

The show took place in the Grand Palais (WireImage)

The Grand Palais in Paris has hosted countless Chanel shows – previous events have seen the setting transformed into everything from a supermarket to a spaceship – but this time around, the French label transported guests to a charming winter village, with fake snow sprinkled on everything from trees to the runway itself.

Even the seats were in keeping with the theme, with guests sitting on wooden benches that matched the surrounding chalets.

The charming alpine setting was the perfect backdrop for a collection filled with heavy-duty tweed and bulbous puffer jackets.

The front row was a mix of Hollywood and musical talents

Kristen Stewart has been a Chanel muse for years (AFP/Getty Images)

Chanel has a long history of collaborating with celebrity muses, many of whom were in attendance on Tuesday.

Kristen Stewart, Clémence Poésy and Marion Cotillard have each fronted campaigns for the luxury label and were among the actors sat on the front row.

Stars from other industries who sat on the front row included singer Janelle Monáe, actor Ellie Bamber and Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson.

Of course, there were also some famous supermodels on the FROW, including Naomi Campbell, Karen Elson, Claudia Schiffer and Lara Stone.

The runway show began with a minute-long silence

Before the first model appeared on the catwalk, those in attendance at the Grand Palais were encouraged to observe a moment of silence to pay their respects to Lagerfeld.

Models stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the top of the runway while the touching tribute took place.

Penélope Cruz made her runway debut

Cruz fronted a campaign for Chanel in October 2018 (AFP/Getty Images)

While celebrities are no stranger to the catwalk, there were some unexpected castings when it came to the Chanel lineup this time around.

Making her runway debut for the fashion house on Tuesday was Spanish actor Penélope Cruz, who fronted a Chanel campaign in October.

The Vicky Christina Barcelona star struck a snow princess silhouette in a feathery white high-waisted skirt paired with a ruffled long-sleeved top. Cruz also held a white rose in commemoration of Lagerfeld.

Other famous faces walking in the show included models Cara Delevingne and Kaia Gerber, who has been making waves in the fashion industry since the tender age of 16.

The collection itself put a colourful twist on an alpine aesthetic

(AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images)

Under Lagerfeld’s leadership, Chanel became renowned for revolutionising tired sartorial tropes with contemporary verve. And the autumn/winter 2019 collection did not fail to disappoint.

While the label stayed true to some of its heritage looks with tweed tailoring, dogtooth prints and monochrome ensembles, the overall vision was elevated with pops of colour that came via vibrant fuchsia suits and bright purple puffer jackets.

Naturally, in theme with the setting, the collection carried an alpine-inspired underbelly, with intricate woven prints bringing a ski-ready sophistication to midi skirts and crew neck jumpers.

Delevingne led the way in a teary finale

(AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images)

When the show came to a close, things took a sombre but celebratory turn.

Delevingne, a long-time muse of Lagerfeld’s, led the finale of models to the sounds of David Bowie’s “Heroes”.

The uplifting track also played during the finale for Fendi's show at Milan Fashion Week last month - Lagerfeld had been creative director at the Italian fashion house for 54 years.

At Chanel, Delevingne walked arm in arm with her fellow models, who were spotted shedding a tear, and soon began whooping and cheering as guests gave a standing ovation.

Following the Chanel show, it’s safe to say that Lagerfeld will be remembered as one of the greatest heroes in fashion.