That’s hot: Paris Hilton becomes new face of Lanvin

The French fashion brand’s new campaign shows a different side to the Simple Life star

(Getty/JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX)

Noughties it-girl Paris Hilton is the new face of Lanvin’s spring 2021 campaign.

Announcing the news on Instagram, the French fashion house wrote: “Inspired by the 1950’s portraits of New York City’s society women, then referred to as ‘swans’, this campaign interprets the modern-day swan – the influencer.”

In the post, the brand explained why Lanvin’s creative director Bruno Sialelli chose Hilton for the campaign.

It said: “Paris Hilton installed a new paradigm based on [a] self-generated way of communicating which influenced and inspired new generations, amplified by social networks and mainstream media.”

The DJ, model and Hilton Hotels heiress rose to fame in the early 2000s when she starred in her own TV show The Simple Life, alongside fellow socialite Nicole Richie.

In the reality show, the two stars coined catchphrases such as “That’s hot” and helped popularise noughties clothing trends including the Juicy Couture velour tracksuit.

The new Lanvin campaign photographs, which show the 40-year-old modelling the new collection, are a world away from Hilton’s look in her reality TV show days.

In a post on her Instagram, Hilton said she “loved being transformed” for the Lanvin campaign.

Speaking to Vogue magazine, Sialelli said that Hilton “defined an era”, referencing her love for sequins and always having her chihuahua under her arm. Sialelli said that with Hilton’s look in the Lanvin campaign, “People are finally seeing the real Paris”, which he described as “more vulnerable” and “soft”.

Read more: 9 unforgettable noughties fashion trends to thank Paris Hilton for

Hilton echoed his sentiments, describing how this photoshoot was different to what she’s done before with “the big eyelashes and big blonde hair”. She explained: “This was the first time to be completely stripped of all of that and just be natural.”

The campaign follows the release of Hilton’s documentaryThis is Paris in September last year, as well as a podcast of the same name, launched in February this year.

In the YouTube originals film, Hilton detailed the abuse she suffered at Provo Canyon School in Utah.

She has since helped pass a bill in Utah to ban harsh treatment of children at youth centres. The star has also recently spoken out in defence of Britney Spears and the singer’s ongoing conservatorship battle.