Earlier this year when I chatted to one of Australia’s most affable young actors Phoebe Tonkin at the Portsea Polo for GRAZIA, she described her default fashion style as “a good pair of jeans, nice shirt, ballet flats and a little Chanel bag”. (Read more here.)

Well, it seems the affection runs both ways, given the Sydney-born but Los Angeles-based former model and star of The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals is a regular fixture at Chanel’s runway shows and launch events.

Even amongst dozens of the Europe’s most fashionable women who descended upon Hamburg for this year’s Chanel Metiers d’art collection runway show, Tonkin’s poise and style credentials saw her steal (in the GRAZIA office’s opinion) the red carpet limelight.

Phoebe Tonkin was mesmerising in a Chanel couture dress and stilettos
Credit: Supplied

Considering she was joined by the likes of Kristen Stewart and Lily-Rose Depp (both faces of Chanel), actress Rinko Kikuchi, German top model Tatjana Patitz and Marine Vacth (face of the Chanel Cruise 2017/18 collection), that was no small task.

Tonkin’s combination of round-necked Chanel couture dress with mirrored sequins and black stilettos was proof that classic elegance can be just as sexy as bare skin. Chunky rings and a smoky eye were the only hints of rebellion in her otherwise regal look.

SEE ALL 87 CHANEL METIERS D’ART PARIS-HAMBURG SHOW LOOKS HERE.

Sixteen-year-old Kaia Gerber was amongst the “crew of sailors” in the runway show
Credit: chanel.com

Each year, Lagerfeld chooses a city that both inspires and hosts the Metiers d’art extravaganza for the French fashion house’s showcase. Last year was Rome, with Paris, Salzburg, Mumbai, Edinburgh, Dallas and New York amongst previous cities.

The completion of the stunning new riverside Elbphilharmonie concert hall earlier this year made it the ideal option for the 2017 Paris-Hamburg collection, which was punctuated with sailor collars, fitted jackets, mini-skirts and extra-wide trousers designed to feminise this 76-person “crew of sailors who haven’t taken to the water” said Lagerfeld, who also happens to have been born in the city.

GALLERY: more VIP guests at the Chanel Metiers d’art 2017 Paris-Hamburg show

Cover image credit: chanel.com