Chanel Muses Throughout History

Fashion houses didn't always use movie stars in campaigns, so Deneuve's tenure as the face of Chanel No. 5 was pretty epic—so much so that sales of the perfume reportedly skyrocketed.

Carine has worked behind the scenes on several Chanel campaigns, but was willing to step in front of the lens for her book The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisited, which she created with Lagerfeld himself.

The ultimate 90's alt-model has a special relationship with Karl Lagerfeld, who not only designed her wedding dress in 1997, but also gave her away.

Tennant's resemblance to Coco Chanel made her an ideal choice of muse, and in 1996 she signed an exclusive contract with the house. She continues to appear in campaigns and on the runway today, giving us iconic catwalk moments like appearing in Chanel's first show in Cuba.

Lagerfeld loves an it-girl, and everyone was pretty excited when he tapped Smith for a recent eyewear campaign. She is also one of the few people that can pull off Lagerfeld-inspired biker gloves at a fashion show (other than Karl, obviously).

Before Stella Tennant there was Ines de la Fressange. In 1983 the French mega-model was the first to ever sign an exclusive deal with the house. She and Lagerfeld had a falling out in 1989, but Ines returned to Chanel's runway for the Spring 2011 show.

Delevingne debuted on the Chanel Haute Couture runway for Spring 2012, but her relationship with the house eventually produced an even bigger first: the debut of her singing career. The world was first treated to the model's voice in the Reincarnation film campaign. The short also introduced her to Pharrell Williams, who helped produce her first single.

One of the first editorial models to successfully cross over into the realm of runway modeling, Evangelista met the Chanel designer in 1985 and quickly became his muse. Years later, in her return to the runway, the superstar closed the house's Fall/Winter 2013 couture show in a white wedding gown.

Lagerfeld once described Dellal as a "modern girl with a strong personality." With her shaved head, nose ring, and main gig as a rock star, we can see what he meant.

Knightley is the longtime face of the fragrance Coco Mademoiselle, along with starring in short films for the brand, as well as fronting the fine jewelry collection and Rouge Coco lipstick collection. She is also among the lucky few to wear Chanel on her wedding day—a dress she loved so much she wore it again on the red carpet.

Just like Bergen, before MacGraw made it big as an actress she was a model. Four years after appearing in this Chanel beauty campaign she would become a major movie star, proving that the house had a knack for discovering the "next big thing" even before Lagerfeld's tenure.

Moore is a front row staple at Chanel shows, but for the Fall 2015 couture presentation she appeared on the runway—playing craps at the gambling-themed show. Recently, she was honored at a MoMA film benefit, which was sponsored by the house.

CR-star Depp is the splitting image of her mother Vanessa Paradis, a long-time Chanel model. So it was no surprise that she was tapped to be the face of the house, especially after she was seen attending shows in 2015.

Shortly after Moulin Rouge was released, Lagerfeld tapped Kidman to star in a Baz Lurhmann-directed film that cost a rumored $33 million, making it one of the most expensive campaigns of all time.

The French actress portrayed the title star in the 2009 biopic Coco Before Chanel, and appeared in a campaign for the brand that same year. Fun fact: the clip was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also directed Amelie, which starred Tautou.

Lagerfeld often taps actresses to appear in campaigns, especially since the house has been producing more and more films. Stewart is no exception—she has worked with Chanel since 2012, and has modeled eyewear, bags, and the incredibly popular clip for the new fragrance, Gabrielle.

Lively was at the height of her Gossip Girl fame when she was tapped to appear in a campaign for Chanel, which helped catapult her to fashion stardom. Anything is possible when Lagerfeld considers you an "American dream girl."

The British pop star was something of a Chanel favorite in the early 2000s—she performed live at the Spring 2010 fashion show, and Lagerfeld even designed her wedding dress in 2011. She made headlines in 2014 when she briefly lost the dress (it was later found).

There are very few men that have had the honor of representing Chanel, but Williams is the only one to star in campaigns, walk the runway, and design his own sneaker for the brand.