With Chanel’s latest cruise collection, Karl Lagerfeld firmly proved that high fashion equals major fun – sun or no sun. St Tropez was the choice of destination for the event. “The town remains beautiful, untouched and has always been about joie de vivre,” he said. An international crowd including Vanessa Paradis, Diane Kruger and Anna Mouglalis were treated to Chanel’s double-C marathon, comprising the premier of Lagerfeld’s short film, Remember Now, starring French actor Pascal Greggory and the in-demand Elisa Sednaoui; an über competitive pétanque tournament; and a runway show on the port’s dockside next to the renowned Café Sénéquier, featuring models Heidi Mount, Natasha Poly and Freja Beha Erichsen.
Lagerfeld was inspired by the “natural” and “easy” style of St Tropez. “It’s not a bling-bling place,” he mused. The 1970s-style clothes – transparent kaftans, crocheted dresses, bell-bottomed jeans, floppy hats – were injected with gingham references to Brigitte Bardot, and the white tuxedos of Mick and Bianca Jagger’s wedding. But while the show’s models were barefoot and barely made-up, this being Chanel they arrived in Riva Aquarama speedboats, widely considered the Ferrari of the high seas. Guests such as the legendary Juliette Greco, seated next to Paradis, watched from red director’s chairs and cheered the show’s finale: Georgia May Jagger – daughter of Mick and a dead ringer for BB – appearing on the back of a Harley Davidson.
Text by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni
Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is the Paris-based author of the critically aclaimed Sam Spiegel - The Biography of A Hollywood Legend. She writes for US Elle Decor, The Lady, Luxx and Vogue
