LAURA CRAIK: Nicole Kidman and Kate Moss go back to black for Paris Fashion Week

With a newly-inked Chanel contract under her belt, a thriving film career and a net worth conservatively estimated at $375million (£272million), Nicole Kidman isn't really in need of a revenge dress.

Yet the striking black feather-embellished shift she wore to Chanel's Paris couture show on Tuesday could certainly be construed as one – especially when compared to the low-key outfit she had on for the brand's ready-to-wear show three months ago.

Then, Kidman, 58, had just revealed she and her husband, singer Keith Urban, were divorcing after 19 years of marriage. 

When she arrived at that show dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, flanked by her daughters Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 15, it was clearly comfort, not glamour, that was front of mind.

But if three months is a long time in fashion, it's an eternity in the life of a divorcee. With Kidman's divorce finalised earlier this month, it was clearly time for a new leaf – and dress.

On Tuesday night feathers were out and faux fur in as Kate Moss arrived at the Saint Laurent menswear show in the French capital.

The supermodel, 52, partially shrugged off a shaggy black coat to reveal a lace-trimmed silk camisole and leather pencil skirt with a daring thigh split – pieces from the Parisian house's womenswear line. 

Joining Moss among the guests of honour were British model and singer Suki Waterhouse, 34, and Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell, 39, with his wife, the actress Kate Mara, 42.

Held in Paris's Grand Palais, Kidman's daughters didn't join her to watch the Chanel show earlier in the day. 

But she had plenty of companionship from fellow front-row guest and Chanel ambassador Dua Lipa, 30, who wore a Chanel jacket, matching pencil skirt and handbag in a vivid yellow and black print. 

They were joined by long-time friends of Chanel including the actress Penelope Cruz, 51, and model Vanessa Paradis, 53, as well as actresses Tilda Swinton, 65, Claire Foy, 41, and Margaret Qualley, 31.

All were on hand to watch the couture debut of Matthieu Blazy, the 41-year-old French-Belgian designer who was announced as Chanel's creative director last year.

While his ready-to-wear debut in October was well-received, couture is a different, elevated and more expensive beast entirely. 

While the 54 looks may have seemed straightforward at first glance, their simplicity was deceptive. 

Classic Chanel tweeds were rendered in silk muslin, and chiffon masqueraded as feathers, all painstakingly hand-crafted by Chanel's dedicated artisans – the lifeblood of a brand that can boast of having the oldest haute couture house in operation.

But this wasn't a boastful collection: it was a modest one. Sweetly, Blazy invited his models to have a meaningful symbol embroidered inside their outfits, a timely reminder that couture is the ultimate 'quiet luxury'.

It is unconfirmed whether Kidman's 'revenge dress' was embroidered with a secret victory sign.