Salma Hayek Brought Her Family to the Balenciaga Show

Salma Hayek can reliably be found at fashion week in the company of her husband François Henri-Pinault, the mogul who sits atop luxury group Kering. But at Balenciaga’s fall 2022 show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, the 55-year-old actor switched it up. Keeping it in the family, she instead chaperoned her 14-year-old daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault and 21-year-old stepdaughter Mathilde Pinault. You’d be forgiven for mistaking the latter as a model who popped out from backstage to pose with the Hayeks: She towered over the 5’2” pair, wearing head-to-toe black acid-wash denim and a crocodile Balenciaga bag. Valentina also repped the house, opting for an on-trend miniskirt and tights printed with its name.

The appearance was a rare one for Valentina, marking only her second fashion show to date. (She also attended Gucci’s “Love Parade” last November, and occasionally joins her mom on the red carpets of her film premieres.) Surprisingly for someone whose father is so closely connected to houses like Saint Laurent, Gucci, and of course Balenciaga, Mathilde’s fashion week appearances have also been relatively few and far between. Since attending a Gucci show all the way back in 2013, but the 1*-level equestrian has largely eschewed the front row in favor of the stables.

No offense to Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, but when it comes to horse girls, Mathilde is the real deal. A rider since age six, she started competing at 10 and discovered her true calling, jumping, at just 13. “I’m only 20 years old, and right now, I’m focusing on my studies and horses,” she told Italian Vanity Fair last November when asked if she would ever consider getting into fashion. In the meantime, you can find her in the stables with steeds whose names, per the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), include Adelasia, Pinky Pay, and Dali PP Z.