Naomi Campbell returns to Valentino couture runway after 14 years

The supermodel's cameo at the show was met with a round of applause

Naomi Campbell walked the Valentino Couture runway in Paris (Getty Images)

Naomi Campbell walked the runway at Valentino’s Spring 2019 couture presentation, 14 years after she last walked for the Italian label.

The supermodel made a surprise appearance on the catwalk in Paris last night, closing the show in a Pierpaolo Piccioli-designed sheer black gown embellished with black flowers, featuring voluminous sleeves and a tiered ruffle skirt.

The 48-year-old last walked for the brand in its 2005 couture collection.

Campbell’s cameo was met by a round of applause from the audience, which included an astonished Celine Dion, rumoured to have been moved to tears by the floral-filled show.

One fan tweeted: “I think it is amazing how Naomi Campbell has been in the modelling industry for 30 years and she still is the greatest supermodel till [sic] this day.”

Another wrote: “Over 30 years since she started her career and Naomi Campbell is still owning the runway! The type of longevity we aspire to!”

Naomi Campbell walked the Valentino Couture runway in Paris (Getty Images)

The model’s appearance on the runway comes days after she sported her natural hair with highlights at Virgil Abloh’s first Vuitton menswear presentation at Men’s Fashion Week Paris.

She also made an appearance at the unveiling of a plaque paying tribute to the late fashion designer Azzedine Alaia.

In December, Campbell was announced as the new face of NARS’ Spring 2019 campaign months after receiving GQ’s inaugural Fashion Icon Award.

Speaking of the accolade, Campbell said: “It’s a wonderful honour. And I cherish it for all the women in my life. We have carried each other through many parts of our careers and I’ll never forget that.”

Pierpaolo’s show was a celebration of all things flora and fauna, rubbishing claims by Meryl Streep’s Devil Wears Prada character, Miranda Priestly, that florals for spring are in no way “ground-breaking”.

Naomi Campbell attends the Louis Vuitton Men’s show in Paris (Getty Images)

During the show, models took to the runway in an array of floral designs – digital prints, embroidered petals in metallics and floral-embellished tights – that made up the 65-strong collection consisting almost entirely of gowns.

“I have asked the seamstresses of the atelier to personally name each dress with a name of a flower or with the emotion brought by the flower itself. I was inspired by the Abécédaire de Flore,” Pierpaolo said of his vision for the show on Instagram.

Ruffles, tiers, and exaggerated shoulder detailing also graced the catwalk, worn by the likes of Kaia Gerber, Liya Kebeede and Adut Akech Bior.

The Valentino show followed Dior’s circus-themed spectacle and Chanel's 18^th Century-inspired presentation at the Grand Palais.