Dame Maggie Smith, 88, proves to be the ultimate fashion icon as she sends fans wild with new Loewe campaign: ‘A queen with good taste to boot!’

Dame Maggie Smith has been appointed the new face of luxury Spanish fashion house Loewe.

The 88-year-old veteran of stage and screen delighted fans as she posed for a series of striking photos while modeling for the brand.

In one image, the Downton Abbey star was seen wearing a white ruffled dress layered over a black turtleneck and a burgundy handbag.

She beamed through the lens a second time, where she donned a rugged coat and carried a quirky olive-colored handbag.

Loewe’s British creative director, Jonathan Anderson, revealed the images on Instagram and immediately sent his followers wild.

Fans said: ‘This is seriously the best thing I’ve ever seen’; “She just came to eat the girls for a side project!! ✨’; ‘Sooooop, she’s everything! Lady everything ❤️’; ‘Genius! The best of the season x’; ‘this is pretty perfect’; ‘Love this beautiful lady so much ❤️❤️’; ‘Love love love this!!! She is certainly a queen and also has good taste.’

Although Maggie proved to be the ultimate model, she shows no signs of slowing down in the acting world.

The Oscar-winning star’s career has gone from strength to strength and she recently enjoyed one of the most successful years of her career after earning more than £2.3million in 2021.

Accounts show that the assets of her acting company, Dame Margret Cross Productions, have risen to £10.2 million, including £9.8 million in cash reserves.

The five-time BAFTA winner made £1.6 million profit through the company after allowing bills of £1.6 million, with £8.7 million deducted for Dame Maggie.

The stories came after she starred in Downton Abbey: A New Era, the second part of the hugely popular 2019 Downton Abbey film, which was a spin-off of the ITV series.

Dame Maggie has played the role of Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, throughout the period drama franchise.

She can currently be seen in cinemas as The Miracle Club, where she stars alongside Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Stephen Rea.

The comedy-drama follows a group of working-class women from Dublin on a pilgrimage to Lourdes in France.

Set in 1967, it follows the story of three generations of close friends: Lily (Smith), Eileen (Bates) and Dolly (O’Casey).

Working: One image showed the Downton Abbey star in a white ruffled dress layered over a black turtleneck sweater and a burgundy handbag

They love it: The 88-year-old veteran of stage and screen, delighted fans as she posed for a series of striking photos while modeling for the brand

The trio live in ‘a tough Dublin community’ called Ballygar and have a shared dream of winning a pilgrimage to Lourdes – ‘that place of miracles that attracts millions of visitors every year’ – in France.

When they get the chance to win and go to Lourdes, they seize the opportunity and start making a plan.

But just before they travel there, their old friend Chrissie (Linney) arrives in Ballygar for her mother’s funeral.

Together they embarked on “the journey they hope will change their lives, with Chrissie, a skeptical traveler, taking her mother’s place.”

The synopsis continues: “The glamor and sophistication of Chrissie, who has just returned from a nearly forty-year exile in the United States, are not her only aloof qualities.”

Ultimately, “old wounds are gradually reopened, forcing the women to confront their past even as they journey in search of a miracle.”

One to watch: Dame Maggie is currently in cinemas in The Miracle Club, where she stars alongside Laura Linney (pictured), Kathy Bates and Stephen Rea