The Most Important French Woman at Chanel Always Wears This Outfit Combo

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I recently watched Netflix's new documentary series called 7 Days Out, which includes a 45-minute episode on the Chanel Haute Couture S/S 18 show. Aside from Karl Lagerfeld's quips—which included him comparing dress details to old snow—I loved how the documentary shed light on the talented women running Chanel behind the scenes.

At the top of the list is Virginie Viard, the fashion studio director at Chanel, who has worked at the company since 1987. She's normally very under-the-radar but was just recently thrust into the spotlight after Lagerfeld was too tired to attend his Chanel couture show yesterday and instead had Viard take a bow solo after the finale. In 7 Days Out, Lagerfeld explained just how integral Viard is to the brand. "Virginie is the most important person, not only for me but also for the atelier, for everything," he says in the documentary. "She is my right arm and even if I don't see her, we are on the phone all the time."

While Viard rarely makes appearances, I noticed that her outfits almost always include a few pared-back essentials: denim jackets, jeans, and flats. Scroll down to familiarize yourself with Viard's perfect French style and shop her look.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Associate Director, Fashion News

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 13 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of Associate Director of Fashion News (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.