We kind of feel like we need one of those cheesy tourist shirts that says, “We went to Paris and all we got was a seat next to Rihanna and Kristen Stewart at CHANEL Haute Couture.” Etsy? Anyone?
Within hours of leaving the atelier, it seemed surreal to see those hand-embroidered, hand-beaded creations walk down the runway right before our eyes. We arrived at the Grand Palais, wide-eyed and jaw-dropped, as we witnessed the transformation of the space from a theatre to a post-apocalyptic rubble: barely-there ceiling, broken chairs, burnt curtains… the place was in total disarray and chaos, but in the most beautiful, Karl Lagerfeld-dreamt up way. Should the world suddenly turn upside down and subsequently end – let’s hope not, right? – we can only pray that Daft Punk’s “Around The World” plays on repeat, while Erin Wasson appears in an ethereal lace dress to save the day.
Planet CHANEL, as we like to call it, was filled with a bunch of familiar faces: Cov-alum Miroslava Duma, Tara Swennen, Virginie Dhello, Karla Martinez, Laetitia Crahay, Caroline Gaimari, Caroline De Maigretand, of course, good ol’ Uncle Karl. As we searched for our seats, we made a few new friends along the way; oh, hey Rihanna! What’s going on, Kristen Stewart? ‘Sup, Rose Byrne? Love the outfit, Milla Jovovich! We weren’t sure if it was the jet-lag or what, but we got contemplating about how we would be spending our final hours.
An oversized spinning globe in the centre of the room was marked with illuminated flags, highlighting the brand’s global presence. While some thought it indicated CHANEL’s world domination, we seemed too fixated on the clothes to debate. As the world turned on a CHANEL axis, we watched as those 79 breath-takings looks passed by: Military-style tweed jackets, 3D fabric flowers, feathers and quilted bags with the kind of piercings our parents would never let us get. And though the show was muted in somber tones of hazy grays to depict Karl’s version of Judgement Day, we can confidently say we’d accept apocalypse now if we knew we’d be wearing any of this.