Nicole Kidman Walking the Balenciaga Runway Was the Biggest Surprise of Couture Week

Demna wasn’t affraid to dream big when it came to the casting of his latest Balenciaga couture show. It’s not every day that Kim Kardashian and Dua Lipa walk a runway show, and they weren’t even the ones that turned the most heads. Following Kardashian was none other than Nicole Kidman, confidently making her runway debut in black evening gloves and draped one-shoulder silver dress that took the atelier 160 hours to make. Her appearance came as a complete surprise: Whereas Kardashian is almost always sporting Demna’s designs—including in the house’s latest series of campaigns—and Lipa has been incorporating Balenciaga into her current world tour wardrobe, Kidman’s most notable tie to the house goes back to 2007. And even then, the Balenciaga dress that she wore to that year’s Oscars was designed not by Demna, but by Nicolas Ghesquière.

Upon learning of Kidman’s surprise cameo, fashion Twitter promptly lost it: Responses included “I need a lie down” and “Everybody’s all like “Kim walked at Balenciaga.” REALLY? THAT’S THE STORY???” Even some of those in the front row had trouble containing themselves. The stylist Law Roach, for one, practically clutched his chest when Kidman strutted by.

After her star turn on the runway, Kidman delivered one last Balenciaga look. The 55-year-old Academy Award winner hit the streets of Paris wearing oversized sunglasses and baggy jeans—a look any other she’s ever been spotted in before. Kim, you’ve had a good run, but it seems like time for Kidman to step in as Demna’s biggest celeb muse.