Chanel Fashion Cruise 2019

Inspired by a nautical vacation, Chanel staged its Cruise 2019 runway show right at Paris’s Grand Palais, the fashion capital of the world. Karl Lagerfeld and his team managed to make it feel like more of a voyage, by adding to the stage cruise ship as the backdrop for the runway.

The show was marked as one of the most expensive fashion shows due to its eye-catching and remarkable location. Karl always kills the shows with his striking themes, but this time it was not compared with anything done before in the fashion industry. The location was inspired by “La Pausa” which is a real-life villa, in the French Riviera constructed in 1928 for the designer Gabrielle Chanel. Lagerfeld brought a 148-meter cruise ship to the stage that took one-month to install in the Paris Grand Palais and took 2 months to built. The ship was decorated with lights, ropes and was painted in red, black and white, to create contrast with the clothing.

The venue also had a 330-foot ocean liner, and some stairs used as a bench for all the guests. The fashion show was the second most expensive show after the Victoria Secret. Comparing both of the shows the Chanel venue is more organized, and cost more but Victoria Secret spends more money on their performance, models, and wings which makes it more expensive. Its clear that when it comes to comparing the show with other high-end fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel is the leader since it takes the company to think for 2 years the theme of each fashion show and leads them to have unique, extravagant and the most outstanding settings.

The collection was inspired by what someone like Coco Chanel would have worn in a nautical vacation. It had many modern pieces, that wear wearable, but when it came to the complete looks, it was something far from what people will wear for vacations today. All the looks were very classy and elegant, which is something you will always see on a Chanel runway. The attire showed off Chanel classic tweed and used all the seasonal colors such as whites, pinks and nautical tones with stripes. The 80 outfits had something distinct, almost every look was paired with white tights and straw hats. The cloth also keeps up with the theme by having the phrase “La Pausa” stamped in some of the shirts. The accessories represented all of the luxuries inside the brand, by making them dominant with the Chanel logo. Every look was paired with a purse, we could see unique pieces such as purses shaped as a lifesaver and some of the all-time classics like the boy or Gabrielle bag. The shoes were really simple and classic, to allow the cloth stand out even more.

High fashion models, such as Stella Maxwell, Adut sketch, Bella and Gigi Hadid made the show more remarkable, due to their experience an energy shown in all the runways there where not only female models but also some male to complement and make the audience feel like if they were on a real voyage in the French Riviera.  All the models, had their hair straightened and a signature cat-eye, which made them feel more classic. The hair and makeup artist opted for a natural look to center all of the attention in the clothing.

One of the most iconic parts of every Chanel fashion show is Karl Lagerfeld’s traditional end of runway bow. This fashion show was very peculiar since Lagerfeld didn’t make the appearance with his grandson Hudson Kroenig, which has helped him close all the shows since 2010. Instead, he brought with him Virginie Viard which is the house fashion studio director and Karls right hand. Both wore classic black and white apparel, and Karl arrived with his signature pair of sunglasses and hair up in a ponytail.

At the end of the show, the boat was filled with 900 passengers, to continue for the after party. The guests were received with champagne, seafood, cocktails and appetizing truffle chips. The party was filled with exclusive Hollywood A-stars, such as Clemence poesy that wore a navy of shoulder dress lily Rose Depp had worn a silver metallic party like dress, Kristen Stewart, with a long glitter tuxedo as a dress and Margot Robbie that wore a short striped dress, which where a major statement of luxury that complemented the show and media. The inside of the ship had a piano bar with live music and swimming pool, to make the after party more striking, and end the show with complete success. The show will definitely mark the fashion history and the clothing will be seen on every celebrity’s closet for the next season.