Keira Knightley Goes Gothic for Harper’s Bazaar U.K., Talks Karl Lagerfeld, Jude Law, and Shunning the Front Row

By Erin Donnelly 07/31/12 at 06:01 PM

Keira Knightley Harpers Bazaar UK Ellen Von Unwerth

Photo courtesy of Ellen Von Unwerth / Harper's Bazaar U.K.

The Downton Abbey gals aren't the only ones getting the gothic treatment this month. Just take a look at Keira Knightley's bewitching shoot for the September issue of Harper's Bazaar U.K.

Now in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, the British beauty poses for Ellen Von Unwerth in darkly romantic designs from Gucci, Lanvin, Balenciaga, and L’Wren Scott, with, of course, a special nod to her employer, Chanel.

"Karl’s amazing," the Coco Mademoiselle campaign star says of her boss, Karl Lagerfeld. "He’s an avid reader. And he speaks about five different languages, so he’ll be rattling English to you and French to somebody else, and German to somebody else, and then the phone rings and he’s speaking in Italian.”

Keira Knightley Harpers Bazaar UK Ellen Von Unwerth

Photo courtesy of Ellen Von Unwerth / Harper's Bazaar U.K.

We'd expect nothing less. And though Knightley is undoubtedly a major fashion fan, she's somewhat shy about posing for the paps from the front row at a fashion show.

"This sounds ridiculous but I don’t actually like having my picture taken and I tend to avoid anything where I have that," she tells the magazine. "I would totally sneak in the back! And sit in the back row. I love seeing [the collections] as they were presented. Because it is art, when you see it. And the couple [of shows] that I’ve been to, they were absolutely extraordinary.”

The recently engaged star also opens about having female friendships ("it's best f***ing thing in the world"), gaining confidence after turning 25 ("I definitely feel like I’ve been around the block a couple of times, and that’s great"), and why her corsets for the upcoming Anna Karenina were no match to co-star Jude Law's unflattering makeup.

"No wonder he kept that hat on," she jokes about Law's hat and makeup for the film. "They were the worst. Poor f***er. I’d get to the end of the day, take my makeup and wig off, and I’d look s**t. He’d take the makeup and wig off and look f***ing brilliant. And everyone would say, ‘Oh yeah! Good-looking man underneath!'”

Can we please be besties with this girl?

For more Keira Knightley, visit HarpersBazaar.co.uk and pick up the September issue, on sale August 2.