Vanessa Paradis bags Lily Allen's Chanel job

Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld has quietly dropped Lily Allen (inset) as the face of the label's famous handbags.

Allen was the ambassador for the Coco Cocoon bag, but the fashion house has replaced her with French actress Vanessa Paradis (right), who has promoted its fragrance for two years and is the long-term girlfriend of Johnny Depp.

Lagerfeld hosted a party in Cannes last week with French magazine Madame Figaro to celebrate the release of pictures of their new star.

According to a Chanel insider, there are no plans for any more work with the singer, who was notably absent from Cannes. Two years ago Lily, 25, was pictured at the Hotel Du Cap and out partying.

Lagerfeld, who described Lily as "fun", usually seats the singer in the front row of his shows. But Lily missed his show earlier this month in St Tropez, and she was not invited to the Cannes party.

"Karl had a show and a party, but Lily was not invited. It was Karl's way of making it clear she is no longer a part of the Chanel family. He instructed his people not to invite her," says a fashionista.

"He is very strict about who can represent the brand and there is a feeling that Lily is too much of a party girl."

Allen fell out of favour last year after she embarrassed herself at a party at Lagerfeld's Paris home. "She got very drunk and had to be taken to the loos to sober up," says one witness. "Karl wasn't impressed."

On Saturday night, Chanel confirmed it was no longer working with Lily. "She was the face, but now it is Vanessa."