Chanel’s latest collection was all about fresh French chic, balmy days in Provence, languid lunches at beach bars and shopping in St Tropez.
Its leitmotif was the famed Villa de Noailles in Hyères, a work of modernist architecture that is an iconic location for fashion folk. Where artists, filmmakers and writers played and dreamed in the 1920s, at a moment when sport first became fashionable to the greater public, and to intellectuals.
The result was a super summery collection, full of vigor and joie de vivre. Easy to comprehend and wear, and, once again, edging Chanel’s target market a couple of years younger.
The invitation set the scene. Shot by Inez & Vinoodh, it featured Dutch model Rianne Van Rompaey, posing before one of the villa’s cut out windows looking down to the Mediterranean Sea. Shot in May, Rianne was dressed in just a black swimsuit, seeing as the collection had yet to be created.
The same vista but in color was the backdrop of the show – mingled with flowers and petals blown up into the size of bungalows – staged inside the Grand Palais Ephemère.
Out on to the all-black catwalk appeared models in posh-hippie plissé dresses and blouses, paired with plaid blazers. And super light bouclé caftans, easy to throw on, and off. Clever culottes and shorts worn with crystal embroidered tops; or canoeist tanks, with double CC logos.
Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard even showed aged denim jeans and tunics, unheard of before in Chanel, worn with pearly belts. Her cleverest trick was unevenly wrapped bouclé skirts with one side three inches lower than the other.
Practically every girl in flats – diamante slippers, logo flip flops, or pearl encrusted shoes with black ribbon bows. Except for evening, when Viard tapped into the current semi-sheer trend with a quintet of beautiful black chiffon negligée dresses – paired them with artic blue, high-heeled knee boots. The length varying throughout from mid-thigh to just above the knee.
Before going psychedelic with mad fantasy florals seen in pant suits, blazers and plissé skirts. Hinting at the insouciance of Villa de Noailles in its glory days. When the likes of Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, Piet Mondrian and Giacometti all came to amuse themselves.
“What I like about the villa is that it is not a huge monument, but an intimate place, where you sense a certain magic,” explained Viard, backstage where Penelope Cruz, Usher, Nicky and Paris Hilton all lauded the designer. One of the most agreeably low-key ego of an egomaniacal profession, winning plaudits for a special collection staged on the final day of Paris Fashion Week.
Little is known about Coco Chanel’s relationship with Marie-Laure de Noailles, though there is a photograph of them with a group of intellectuals at a black-tie soirée, Coco looking radiant in a small bonnet hat.
Today, the villa is a contemporary art center, and location of the famous Hyères Festival whose prize for young designers is the most sought after in European fashion. One of its greatest sponsors is the house of Chanel.
“Above all, I wanted a sense of fun and ease about this collection, drifting from beach to café, enjoying life,” enthused Viard, who took her bow in black anthracite bouclé trousers and a black T-Shirt reading, ironically, Hectic Glamour.
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