April 30, 2025 |
The Chanel cruise show embraced the Italian ‘dolce vita’ spirit, with the Villa d’Este, a gilded pleasure palace on the shores of Lake Como, as a glamorous backdrop.
Coco Chanel was familiar with the place. She was friends with legendary Italian director Luchino Visconti and spent time at his villa on the lake, meanwhile the nearby Villa d’Este played host to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock (who filmed The Pleasure Garden there), Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor, Winston Churchill (who painted the gardens) and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Then and now, if you’re wealthy and elegant, the historic lakeside hotel will lure you. Fitting then that the foyer, terrace and gardens served as the catwalk for this show.
Chanel has a new artistic director, but until Matthieu Blazy shows his debut collection in October, it’s the skilled in-house team who create the collections.
They focussed on the kind of sun-kissed pastels and timeless, carefree elegance that is as much a signature of Chanel as tweed jackets and quilted bags. There were plenty of those on show in a collection dedicated to OOO looks. Chanel ambassador Sofia Coppola, set the mood with a short film set in the hotel, which she described as “about that version of yourself when you get away, when you may be different from how you are in real life”. This was the vacation wardrobe of dreams.
The design studio was in full flow, crafting sequin belted jackets that were as easy as bath robes. High-waisted tweed shorts worn with cropped, lace, halter tops offered a hint of the 1930s seen through a 21st century lens. Crochet jackets, skirts and trousers worn over swimwear played into a beach vibe along with roomy raffia totes.
For evening, gold lamé suiting continued the playful mood, alongside sweet little flounced taffeta party dresses. The feel good factor was high on show. Chanel let good times roll.
Photography courtesy of Chanel.
