CERNOBBIO, Italy — “I don’t think Emma Corrin needs any advice,” a glowing Keira Knightley said with a big smile as she attended the first of the two runway shows Chanel staged on Lake Como on Tuesday.

The British actress joined the likes of Sofia Coppola, Lupita Nyong’o, Margaret Qualley and Ananya Panday in flocking to the landmark Villa d’Este hotel here, which Chanel secured as its exclusive venue to parade its cruise 2026 collection.

Speaking with WWD about her longtime relationship with the French house and the integral role fashion plays in her work and in building a character, Knightley also retraced her famous performance as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice” film, which turns 20 this year. Now, just as every other fan of Jane Austen’s classic, she’s ready to binge-watch Netflix’ new miniseries adaptation starring Emma Corrin in the role.

“’Pride & Prejudice’ is one of the classic novels, Elizabeth Bennet is one of the classic heroines. It’s been made so many times, and it should be made again and again because there’s always something for a new generation,” said Knightley. “It’s one of those classic stories and yet it’s always modern because of the spirit of Elizabeth Bennet and the love story within it. So I can’t wait to see the new version of it, and I was very proud to be able to play the character.”

Speaking of Netflix productions, Knightley herself has a new movie coming up for the streaming platform at the end of the year. Titled “The Woman in Cabin 10” and based on Ruth Ware’s 2016 bestselling book of the same title, the psychological thriller directed by Simon Stone will see the actress star alongside the likes of Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham and Kaya Scodelario, among others.

But before embarking on press tours, on Tuesday Knightley took time to appreciate the cinematic quality of the Chanel cruise 2026 collection. Right after the show, she said she loved “the fact that it was part ‘30s movie star, part kind of Studio 54 and ‘70s disco.

“There was this really beautiful romantic kind of pastel-y colored, ruffled, full-length [look] like a ‘30s star, where I felt I was in a true [Luchino] Visconti movie. And then there’s a good halterneck black leather where I said, ‘Well, now I’m in disco’ — so I felt between those two and was very happy,” she said.

Another fashion feat that makes Knightley happy? A big bow. Actually the more the merrier, judging by the look she picked for the occasion — a flowy white blouse embellished with black bows around the neckline, which she tucked into a long skirt and cinched at the waist with a belt made of pearl strands.

“I saw this look in Chanel’s fall 2025 show and I thought, ‘Yes, please’. I mean, you always need bows – whenever there’s a bow I am, ‘Yes! Absolutely’,” she said. “I just always loved Chanel because the history of the brand, timeless and yet modern — they’re constantly reinventing something that is always wearable and totally chic. You are always in safe hands when you are with Chanel.”

Nyong’o got the bow memo, too, as she opted for three big ones to secure her updo on the back. Despite going for a total black look, her hairstyle and pink makeup added fun elements to her outfit, which she said “reminded me of the spirit of Lake Como, which is opulent and yet kind of playful — that’s why I picked it.”

That’s the approach she embraces for her red carpet moments. “I go with my emotions and how I want to feel. And I want to look put together but have a sense of humor so I like to dare myself and have courage with what I wear,” said Nyong’o, who has joined a stellar cast for Christopher Nolan’s next film, “The Odyssey.” Scheduled to be released next year, the adaptation of Homer’s iconic poem will see Nyong’o starring alongside the likes of Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron, among others.

American actress Sarah Catherine Hook is also embarking on new projects. After the success of the third season of “The White Lotus,” she will next be seen in the Netflix movie “People We Meet on Vacation.”

“It’s funny because the scenes that I shot were set in Tuscany and so it was this kind of Italian villa vibe,” she said. “When I filmed it, I also felt transported in time similarly to how I feel here. It was very glamorous.”

As she acknowledged the shift in her career — going from “rolling the dice, audition and hope and pray that someone will hire me” to being sent scripts now — Hook said she’s looking more and more to play different characters and experiment with different genres. 

“I would love to be able to sing,” she said. Her dream role would have ties with Italy as she revealed she’d like to star in “this musical that’s set in Florence called ‘The Light in the Piazza’ and I would love to play Clara one day.”

As for Fernanda Torres, she revealed she wrote a script for a comedy at the beginning of last year and “that’s what I want to do now.”

The Brazilian actress partnered with Chanel for her Oscars debut earlier this year, walking the 2025 Academy Awards red carpet in a look straight from the French house’s spring 2025 runway show. 

After scooping the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a drama, the “I’m Still Here” actress was the second Brazilian to ever be nominated in the Best Actress category, following her mother’s nomination in 1999.

The movie put her under the international spotlight — backed by incredible support from her fellow Brazilians — and her style evolved at every step of her press tour.

“I had to learn,” said Torres. “I live in Rio de Janeiro. It’s almost obscene to be overdressed, to be dressed even, because you can be in a place like this [in Villa d’Este] and then someone in a bikini will look better than you, and you’ll look a bit strange. That’s the place I was raised,” she said with her signature sense of humor and affable ways.

“But then suddenly with ‘I’m Still Here’ we had like six months of red carpets. And red carpet is another stage, you have to decide who you’re going to be,” she continued. “So I had the character I was portraying in the movie and I couldn’t become Cinderella on the red carpet. I had to decide and my stylist Antonio Frajado helped me a lot to find this balance between something red carpet-able and at the same time elegant, discreet and noble like the woman I was portraying, and that in a way it was very close to who I am.

“I learned a lot: now I think I have an image of myself in that stage… Now I feel comfortable and know what to choose for myself,” said Torres.

Others in the front row at the Chanel shows included Luca Guadagnino, Caroline de Maigret, Egyptian actress Tara Emad, Japanese talent Nana Komatsu, Chinese actress Ning Chang, Thai actress and singer Ally and a pool of Italian talents.