Cannes – "It's the other side of the Cote d'Azur," explained Karl Lagerfeld of his latest Chanel cruise collection, staged in impeccable splendor at the Eden Roc hotel in Cap'Antibes on France's Mediterranean coast.
One year ago, Lagerfeld presented Chanel's previous cruise collection just 30 miles away in St Tropez, a posh hippie moment where the runway was the dockside. On Monday, May 10, he move the locale to a beautiful walkway between the storied hotel - the preferred resting place for mega movie stars during the Cannes Film Festival - and its famed rock pool, and the Spring 2012 collection was one of tony, haute sophistication.
Models marched into crimson rays of the setting sun before an audience that included Princess Caroline of Monaco, Blake Lively, Clemence Poesy, newcomer actress Marine Vacth, Chanel ambassador Anna Mouglalis, rock star Vanessa Paradise and Rachel Bilson, star of the recent Lagerfeld photographed Magnum ice cream commercials.
In case the classily elegant message was not clear, the couturier attired pretty much the entire cast in nearly 100 pieces of fine jewelry, eschewing literally boxes of costume jewelry that lay in boxes in the temporary Chanel studio in the hotel.
"It makes sense you see, since sea water tarnishes costume jewelry but has no effect on real diamonds. So if any of the girls fell in the water, well, we'd have nothing to worry about," Lagerfeld said with a laugh.
From Chanel swimsuits embedded with literally millions of dollars worth of diamonds or evening columns with pearls peeping through chiffon, to sparkling bracelets almost like mini Coliseums to brooches that looked like small emerald explosions, this was possibly the most extravagant runway show in terms of high-power jewelry ever staged in fashion.
"It's highly sophisticated jewelry for a highly sophisticated crowd. They had to be real stones, the audience is certainly not fake," said Lagerfeld, in a preview with FWD the day before the show.
As the shadows lengthened on the slanting catwalk, guests lounged about on terrace lounge chairs beneath white parasols as some 50 models marched through the beautiful garden.
"This is place is amazing! I wonder can I move here?" joked Chanel's brand model Lively, attired in a copper top and black satin mini, as she chatted with fellow thespian Poesy.
Lagerfeld revealed that he was inspired by cinematic glamour and the sort of movie stars that used to stay in the Eden Roc - stars like Rita Hayworth. The largely ecru, white and black collection had a wonderful poise from pleated dresses with embroideries, and crystals tinged cocktail dresses. The designer boldly opened with sleek suits in canary yellow or lavender, paired with some dashing new linen boots with open toes.
A slick middle section of graphic black and white swimsuits, worn with jaunty boater hats with tweed trim, segued into a marvelous finale of cocktail dress sewn with pearls and tulle dresses trim with more sparklers.
The exotic evening's most evocative moment was quite possibly the screening of the latest Lagerfeld for Chanel movie, a 30-minute opus titled "The Tale of a Fairy."
A tale of model Kristen McMenamy and muse Lady Amanda Harlech playing sisters fighting over their inheritance - a beautiful villa nearby - in a setting of gilded playboys and beautiful women indulging themselves, the finely acidic script film did seem very apt for the event.
"I expect a few people will be shocked," chortled Lagerfeld, referring to the film's most memorable moment, when Chanel model Freja Beha Erichsen appears topless and seduces Mouglalis into a memorably evocative kiss.
One year ago, Lagerfeld presented Chanel's previous cruise collection just 30 miles away in St Tropez, a posh hippie moment where the runway was the dockside. On Monday, May 10, he move the locale to a beautiful walkway between the storied hotel - the preferred resting place for mega movie stars during the Cannes Film Festival - and its famed rock pool, and the Spring 2012 collection was one of tony, haute sophistication.
Models marched into crimson rays of the setting sun before an audience that included Princess Caroline of Monaco, Blake Lively, Clemence Poesy, newcomer actress Marine Vacth, Chanel ambassador Anna Mouglalis, rock star Vanessa Paradise and Rachel Bilson, star of the recent Lagerfeld photographed Magnum ice cream commercials.
In case the classily elegant message was not clear, the couturier attired pretty much the entire cast in nearly 100 pieces of fine jewelry, eschewing literally boxes of costume jewelry that lay in boxes in the temporary Chanel studio in the hotel.
"It makes sense you see, since sea water tarnishes costume jewelry but has no effect on real diamonds. So if any of the girls fell in the water, well, we'd have nothing to worry about," Lagerfeld said with a laugh.
From Chanel swimsuits embedded with literally millions of dollars worth of diamonds or evening columns with pearls peeping through chiffon, to sparkling bracelets almost like mini Coliseums to brooches that looked like small emerald explosions, this was possibly the most extravagant runway show in terms of high-power jewelry ever staged in fashion.
"It's highly sophisticated jewelry for a highly sophisticated crowd. They had to be real stones, the audience is certainly not fake," said Lagerfeld, in a preview with FWD the day before the show.
As the shadows lengthened on the slanting catwalk, guests lounged about on terrace lounge chairs beneath white parasols as some 50 models marched through the beautiful garden.
"This is place is amazing! I wonder can I move here?" joked Chanel's brand model Lively, attired in a copper top and black satin mini, as she chatted with fellow thespian Poesy.
Lagerfeld revealed that he was inspired by cinematic glamour and the sort of movie stars that used to stay in the Eden Roc - stars like Rita Hayworth. The largely ecru, white and black collection had a wonderful poise from pleated dresses with embroideries, and crystals tinged cocktail dresses. The designer boldly opened with sleek suits in canary yellow or lavender, paired with some dashing new linen boots with open toes.
A slick middle section of graphic black and white swimsuits, worn with jaunty boater hats with tweed trim, segued into a marvelous finale of cocktail dress sewn with pearls and tulle dresses trim with more sparklers.
The exotic evening's most evocative moment was quite possibly the screening of the latest Lagerfeld for Chanel movie, a 30-minute opus titled "The Tale of a Fairy."
A tale of model Kristen McMenamy and muse Lady Amanda Harlech playing sisters fighting over their inheritance - a beautiful villa nearby - in a setting of gilded playboys and beautiful women indulging themselves, the finely acidic script film did seem very apt for the event.
"I expect a few people will be shocked," chortled Lagerfeld, referring to the film's most memorable moment, when Chanel model Freja Beha Erichsen appears topless and seduces Mouglalis into a memorably evocative kiss.
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