Chanel's 2019 Pre-Oscars Dinner Paid Homage To Karl Lagerfeld’s Legacy

On the eve of the 91st Academy Awards, Chanel threw its 11th annual Charles Finch Pre-Oscars Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The night is a celebration of film and Hollywood that draws a who’s who crowd of actors, film execs, fashion-industry A-listers, and more. Attendees gathered to mingle, imbibe and discuss the year’s top films. But given that the house’s iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld died unexpectedly the week prior, Chanel's Pre-Oscars dinner was also a night to reminisce and pay homage to perhaps the most celebrated and prolific designer of our time.

And there could be no better way to honor his imposing legacy than by wearing his designs, which many of the guests did. Each woman donned the pieces in her own way, showcasing Lagerfeld’s wide-ranging influences and the incredible breadth of his talent. Glamour, cropped silhouettes and the perfect dose of edge permeated the evening’s looks.

House ambassador Kristen Stewart made her Chanel look her own in a short tweed skirt and cropped, pink cashmere cardigan. The skirt was a part of the Spring/Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear collection in which Lagerfeld’s beach-themed show featured actual crashing waves. The sweater came as part of the Cruise 2018/19 collection, La Pausa, in which the visionary designer had a cruise ship built in Paris’ Grand Palais.

Another Chanel ambassador, Margot Robbie, the face of the house’s ski-focused Coco Neige campaign, also opted for a cropped silhouette on top, pairing a white-and-black tweed vest from the Spring/Summer 2019 range and a wide-legged leather pant with velvet tuxedo piping down the side. The simple black-and-white palette and mix of textures made for an evening look that was at once edgy and sophisticated.

Shailene Woodley was the picture of youthful radiance in a logo’d blue-and-white cotton cardigan and skirt from the beachy 2019 Spring/Summer 2019 collection. Fusing fashion’s current obsession with logos with a demure pencil-shaped skirt and just the right amount of skin, this Lagerfeld design bridged generations and trends.

Keeping with the cropped trend, Zoe Kazan epitomized youthful elegance in an embellished, colorful sequin top from the 2019 Cruise collection and tailored black leather pants from Spring/Summer.

Miley Cyrus opted for a demure look, wearing an outfit from the Spring/Summer collection. The multicolored tweed jacket and pants were complemented by dual arm parties and a bejeweled Chanel hair accessory, keeping the look fun and party-ready.

Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton looked the part in a French-girl chic outfit, complete with a blue-and-white tweed top and skirt and the ultimate Parisian accessory: a beret.

The always elegant Lupita Nyong’o wowed in a gold tweed dress from the recent Métiers d’art Collection Lagerfeld showed this past Dec. in the New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The gold Chanel boots rounded out the Black Panther actor’s fierce metallic ensemble.

Robin Wright also went for the always chic combo of black and white with a flowy, high-neck white Chanel blouse and wide-legged Chanel pant. The look, both classic and elegant, proved that Lagerfeld’s design prowess spanned styles both complicated and perfectly simple.

Want to witness the magic for yourself? Ahead, a few favorites from the special evening.

Lupita Nyong'o

Kristen Stewart

Michelle Yeoh

Margot Robbie

Shailene Woodley

Robin Wright

Zoe Kazan

Lucy Boynton

Miley Cyrus