Horse couture! Lagerfeld muses Gigi, Kendall and Kaia are no-shows as Chanel sends Grace Kelly’s showjumper granddaughter Charlotte Casiraghi down the runway on her trusty steed- but at least Margot Robbie and Vanessa Paradis turn up
- Virginie Viard is the new creative director for Chanel, taking over from Karl Lagerfeld following his death in February 2019
- Lagerfeld was known for his muses, propelling the likes of Kaia Gerber, Kendall Jenner and Lily Rose Depp to super stardom
- Tuesday’s show opened with Charlotte Casiraghi, the elder daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, accomplished equestrian and one of Chanel’s most recent ambassadors, cantering down the catwalk
- The Chanel show is one of 16 live runways taking place during the week, up from eight runway shows last season with COVID severely limiting which fashion houses could stage a public event
Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week shows are legendary for their elaborate set pieces, which in the past have included the Grand Palais transformed into a train station, a shopping mall and a winter wonderland.
And usually the grandiose runway presentation is the hot ticket of Fashion Week with the industry’s biggest names both on and off the catwalk.
But For Tuesdays Haute Couture runway, the muses of the late Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld were MIA, despite the brand keeping up their reputation for spectacle by sending a horse down the runway.
Tuesday’s show opened with Chanel ambassador and showjumper, Charlotte Casiraghi, the elder daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and the granddaughter of Grace Kelly and one of Chanel’s most recent ambassadors, cantering down the catwalk on a horse while resplendent in a Chanel riding jacket in black tweed and sequins.
The new Chanel muse: Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week shows are legendary for their elaborate set pieces, and on Tuesday the brand sent a real-life horse down the runway for its Haute Couture runway, instead of their usual favoured models
Anna Wintour was among those with a VIP seat, sitting just feet from the the brand’s four-legged model, but the A-list were missing from the audience and the catwalk.
Margot Robbie, Vanessa Paradis and Pharrell Williams were among the few stars spotted making their fashionable arrivals at the Grand Palais, which was transformed into a surreal showjumping course.
The idea for the show’s décor came from a longstanding desire of creative director Virginie Viard to work with artist and filmmaker Xavier Veilhan. ‘His references to constructivism remind me of those of Karl Lagerfeld,’ Viard said. ‘Xavier wanted to work with Charlotte Casiraghi. His artistic universe is full of horses, and Charlotte is a skilled rider.’
A touch of star power: Margot Robbie and Vanessa Paradis were some of the few Hollywood faces to make it to the show
Sitting pretty: Margot sat with film director Sofia Coppola in pink and black striped tweed
VIP: Pharrell Williams was seen making his fashionable arrival at the Grand Palais earlier, dressed in a colourful cardigan and baggy jeans
Fashionable family: Pharrell arrived with his son Rocket Ayer Williams and his wife Helen Lasichanh
Style: Pharrell also wrapped up for the day in a yellow coat with a brown and gold patterned print
Glamour: Sofia cut an elegant figure in her outfit, which she paired with black heels
Event: Sofia and Margot also posed for a snap alongside French actress and model Carole Bouquet
Radiant: Carole donned a bright red coat which she paired with a black top and matching trousers
Hollywood star Margot looked stunning in a white tweed blazer and patent leather ankle boots, making for a leggy look.
Concealing her lithe frame, the Birds Of Prey star shrugged an oversized boucle jacket over a lace trim dress – which was just visible at the collar.
Giving her tanned and toned pins some extra lift, she donned a pair of heeled white stiletto boots.
Hot ticket: The Grand Palais hosted masked industry experts around a sweeping, curved runway
Model of the moment: Tuesday’s show opened with Charlotte Casiraghi, the elder daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, accomplished equestrian and one of Chanel’s most recent ambassador, cantering down the catwalk
Parents: Charlotte is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover and the late socialite Stefano Casiraghi who died during a racing accident defending his 1990 Class 1 World Powerboat Championship title (pictured with Charlotte in 1986)
Grandparent: Charlotte is the granddaughter of the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and actress Grace Kelly, the parents of Caroline, Princess of Hanover (pictured in 1956)
The blonde bombshell completed the look by toting a micro handbag that may have been of no practical value, but added to the chic nature of the look.
Vanessa Paradis, a muse of Lagerfeld’s, looked gorgeous in an embellished floral top and black satin high-waisted trousers.
Pharrell dressed in a colourful cardigan and baggy jeans, topped off with Chanel’s coveted mini round bag, which retails for upwards of £3k. He arrived with his designer-clad son Rocket Ayer Williams and his wife Helen Lasichanh.
Back in the Grand Palais: This time last year the brand was forced to go virtual for its Spring/Summer Haute Couture show
In style: The Chanel show is one of 16 live runways taking place during the week, up from eight runway shows last season with COVID severely limiting which fashion houses could stage a public event
Fashionable FROW: Anna Wintour was seen looking on as Charlotte and her horse opened the runway
Fashion’s top name: Anna was seen arriving in signature Chanel, donning a mask and her trademark sunglasses
Outfit: She also sported high-waisted black trousers and let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders
Flawless: French-Romanian actress Anamaria Vartolomei looked stylish in a purple jacket and matching skirt
Collaboration: Pharrell has worked with Chanel for a number of years and previously brought streetwear to the fashion house
All smiles: Model Caroline De Maigret donned a black tweed coat and carried a silver clutch bag
Couple: Former French Eurovision contestant Sebastien Tellier attended the event with his wife Amandine Martinon de La Richardiere
Model: Pharrell has previously walked in Chanel runway shows and even wrote a song for the luxury fashion house
This time last year the brand was forced to go virtual for its Spring/Summer Haute Couture show, after COVID 19 shut down the January PFW, and indeed the global pandemic has meant a marked decline in over-the-top, costly runway shows as well as the ability for international models to travel.
Back in 2019 Chanel attracted names like Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and long-time collaborator Sofia Coppola to the FROW.
The heyday of a-list models strutting down the runway is long gone though, with Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber last seen on a Chanel catwalk in early 2020.
Stunning: Margot let her blonde tresses fall loose down her shoulders at the star-studded event
Casual: Belgian singer Angele opted for a black jacket with a sequinned detail and flared blue jeans
Missing muses: The heyday of a-list models strutting down the runway is long gone though, with Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber last seen on a Chanel catwalk in early 2020 (pictured)
Legs eleven! Back in 2019 the Grand Palais in the French capital was transformed into the Villa Chanel as Kaia Gerber stole the show. COVID restrictions have meant the fashion house has scaled back it elaborate sets in the past two years
Remember this? The global pandemic has meant a marked decline in over-the-top, costly runway shows as well as the ability for international models to travel
FROW heyday: Long-time Chanel ambassador used to be one of the FROW’s guaranteed stars, as pictured at the Haute Couture Spring Summer 2019 show
It girls: Lagerfeld was known for his muses, propelling the likes of Gerber, Kendall Jenner and Lily_Rose Depp to super stardom in the years before his death (Depp and Lagerfeld pictured in January 2017)
Chanel’s latest muse: Charlotte Casiraghi
Chanel’s 2021 ambassador is Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco.
Her mother was a close friend and muse to Karl Lagerfeld, with Charlotte following in her mother’s footsteps, sitting front row at Chanel shows since she was a teenager.
11th in line to the thrown, she has dabbled in modeling, writing and producing alongside her status as a socialite.
Casiraghi chose Chanel to design one of her wedding dresses for her wedding to Dimitri Rassam in 2019
As part of her new role, she has starred in the Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection.
Virginie Viard is the new creative director for Chanel, taking over from Lagerfeld following his death in February 2019.
Lagerfeld was known for his muses, propelling the likes of Gerber, Kendall Jenner and Lily_Rose Depp to super stardom in the years before his death.
In his 36 years as creative director, Lagerfeld’s collaborations with models, ‘it’ girls and the A-list, included show staples like his ‘Couture Brides’ defining the runway shows he oversaw. In turn, the Grand Palais spectacles and well-known faces on the runway attracted the stars into the FROW.
Meanwhile, Viard, who worked for Lagerfeld since 1987 before her rise to the top job, was described by Vogue in 2020 as ‘the least famous designer in fashion at its most famous house’.
In her previous position as Lagerfeld’s studio coordinator, Viard built up year-long friendships and collaborations with the craftspeople behind the Maisons d’Art, the characters behind the designs instead of the beauties who were dressed in them.
The Chanel show is one of 16 live runways taking place during the week, up from eight runway shows last season with COVID severely limiting which fashion houses could stage a public event.
Another seven houses will stage physical and video presentations for editors and clients this year; and a further six will be purely digital displays.
New approach: Virginie Viard is the new creative director for Chanel, taking over from Lagerfeld following his death February 2019, and has favoured to focus on the fashion rather than the spectacle
Stunning: Viard sent models down the sweeping runway in draped silks in Chanel’s signature black and white palette
Edgy: Models rocked smudged black eyes alongside their voluminous dresses and classic Chanel tailoring
Here comes the bride: The finale of every Chanel Haute Couture show features a Chanel bride, with Lagerfeld previously employing ‘it girl’ models like Claudia Schiffer, Kendall Jenner, and Cara Delevingne to close the show as his bride
Grand Palais: Chanel’s favourite venue was dressed with huge geometric shapes and featured a curved runway
Taking their bows: At the close of the runway Charlotte Casiraghi walked hand in hand with Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard and filmmaker Xavier Veilhan who created a video of Charlotte for the show
Runway shows that made Chanel the hottest ticket at Fashion Week
Lagerfeld enjoyed a glittering career in fashion, but it was Chanel that propelled him to rock-star status, as he sexed up the brand and lifted its profile thanks in no small part to his grandiose runway shows.
These have featured a full-scale beach and an enormous replica ship, with previous offerings including a real-life ice berg imported from Scandinavia and a full-scale working supermarket.
Here, we reveal the eye-popping set designs that made Chanel the hottest ticket at Paris Fashion Week year after year.
JANUARY 2019: A luxurious villa complete with swimming pool to present Chanel’s Spring-Summer Haute Couture fashion show – the first that Lagerfeld did not attend
OCTOBER 2018: Fashion editors are left agog as Paris’ Grand Palais is transformed into a sprawling beach complete with lapping waves, sand and a beach hut
MARCH 2017: Lift-off in the Grand Palais, Paris as a giant rocket ship appears to take flight during the womenswear AW 2017-2018 show
MARCH 2014: Chanel transforms the Grand Palais into a supersize supermarket complete with shelves and checkouts. Models browsed the aisles with trollies
MAY 2007: Lagerfeld steps off a private jet emblazoned with the Chanel emblem at the 2007-2008 Chanel Cruise Show at Hangar 8 in Santa Monica, California
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