Kathryn Newton Recalls Accidentally Ruining Priceless Chanel Suit

Cue the gasps: Big Little Lies actress Kathryn Newton is still learning the ins and outs of fashion, revealing on Friday that she took a pair of scissors to a vintage Chanel suit.

By Lindsay Weinberg Nov 13, 2020 10:18 PMTags
Watch: Kathryn Newton Recalls Early Acting Days on "All My Children"

Kathryn Newton is here to remind us that celebs are not just like us.

The Freaky actress revealed that she cut up a vintage Chanel suit before she realized that, uh, it's actually a priceless museum piece. Can't relate, though it does sound like something we'd do.

She dished on the light-hearted moment while speaking with InStyle on Friday, Nov. 13. Kathryn explained she was in Vancouver shooting Supernatural and found "this amazing vintage shop" filled with Yves Saint Laurent, Chrome Hearts and Chanel pieces.

"It was so, so cheap," she said. "I don't buy things full price—I'm not that person. I buy on sale, so I'll vintage shop and find these pieces and now I have this amazing collection. I have these suits from Chanel 1994—two black ones. You've seen the picture of the fashion models in the pastel [sets], with their amazing long legs. I have, like, four of those suits."

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However, the 23-year-old didn't understand how valuable the Chanel suits were and decided to have some fun by cutting one of them up for a new style. 

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

Kathryn continued, "One of them I cut because the skirt was too long and I wanted it to be like in the picture. Then, I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and they literally had the outfit in the museum. I was like, 'Oh my God, I cannot believe I just ruined a museum piece by altering it!'"

She then learned that once vintage items like these are altered, they lose their value. The takeaway? She reflected, "I was like, 'Oh well. I've got to wear it. I've got to make it look good.' So, now I'm starting to wear it more."

Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

So is Karl Lagerfeld rolling over in his grave? Well, Kathryn has already proved her love for fashion as a face of Ralph Lauren and Valentino. And the Big Little Lies actress has worn plenty of classic Chanel outfits to events around Hollywood as well, recently rocking the French house on the red carpet at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.

But with traditional red carpets becoming less common during the pandemic, Kathryn thinks the days of high fashion movie premieres might be ending.

She said, "Are we really going to go all out if it's over Zoom or are we just going to wear our clothes? And then, can we just wear our clothes to the premieres now?" The fashionista added, "Don't get me wrong, I'll be a princess for you any day, but maybe you want to see me in my sweatpants."

In the meantime, maybe she can channel her Chanel creativity into DIY videos on TikTok.

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