Irina Lazareanu: Chanel’s enigmatic rock muse
Between haute couture shows and impromptu concerts, Irina Lazareanu embodies a hybrid icon, free and elusive. Chanel understands this.
A youth marked by exile and discipline
Irina Lazareanu was born in 1982 in Ploiești, Romania. At a very young age, she left the country with her family, fleeing the dictatorship. They settled in Montreal, where she discovered a new culture. A dreamy but disciplined child, Irina immersed herself in classical dance.
At 13, she joined London’s prestigious Royal Ballet School. The rigor of ballet forged her posture, her gait and her strength. However, an injury forced her to give up dancing. This first setback redefined her path. She chose music. London became the setting for her first rebellions.
A meteoric rise thanks to Kate Moss
It was in London clubs that she met Pete Doherty, a troubled figure in British rock. Their affair became a cult affair. But it was above all her meeting with Kate Moss that turned her life around. Moss took her under her wing. In 2005, she propelled her into Vogue Paris.
The world discovered an atypical face. Dark eyes, thick bangs, a graceful head carriage. Irina doesn’t smile, she observes. She doesn’t seduce, she intrigues. Her allure stands in stark contrast to the sleek supermodels of the day. She explodes on the catwalks.
Karl Lagerfeld makes her a Chanel legend
Just revealed, she caught the eye of Karl Lagerfeld. Chanel’s artistic director likes strong personalities. Irina became his muse. He photographed, dressed and paraded her. He admires her duality: “a mix of Coco Chanel and Anna de Noailles”, he says.
She embodies a non-conformist femininity. At Chanel, she doesn’t play the sophisticated doll. She embodies urban poetry, effortless refinement. Her presence on the Chanel catwalks injects a rock and literary touch into the house’s universe. A gentle but decisive revolution.
A musician who refuses to give up the stage
Even at the height of fashion, Irina never gave up on music. She writes, composes, sings and performs with Doherty’s band, the Babyshambles. Even at the height of fashion, Irina remains a musician. She’s not looking for hits. She wants to keep it real.
At the same time, she collaborated with Sean Lennon, John’s son. Together, they recorded Some Place Along the Way, a folk album never officially released. It remains a cult project, often quoted, rarely heard. Irina refuses to compromise. She prefers silence to betrayal of her style.
A style with a cult following
Irina Lazareanu doesn’t follow trends. She precedes them, hijacks them, abandons them. Vintage thrift, Chanel suits, worn boots, men’s shirts: everything blends coherently. She embodies effortless chic.
In 2020, she published Runway Bird: A Rock’n’Roll Style Guide. This book is more than a fashion manual. It’s a manifesto. In it, she recounts her nights, her travels and her looks. She also talks about emotions, solitude and creation. For her, style is first and foremost an inner posture.
An icon in the shadows
Irina has never sought the light. She unwittingly attracts it. She refuses to be overexposed to the media, cultivating her rarity. It’s this distance that reinforces her aura. She appears where she’s least expected: in an exhibition in Tokyo, a concert in Berlin, a Chanel editorial in New York.
His career inspired an entire generation. Models, singers and actresses claim her influence as their own. As for Irina, she keeps moving forward. Always on the edge, always somewhere else. A free, elusive, radically modern muse.
