Last week we featured news about this year’s annual Chanel Métiers d’art collection being held at the Hotel Ritz, Paris, on 6 December. This week, Baroque Access brings you all the photographs of the clothes and the guests at the event, as well as the hotel’s exquisite décor
The Ritz Paris is a setting cherished by both the House of CHANEL and its founder Gabrielle Chanel. For this occasion Karl Lagerfeld affirmed his attachment to Paris by choosing the Ritz Paris as the location for the 2016/17 Métiers d’art collection. And no wonder – he considers this newly refurbished, exceptional establishment to be “the cosmopolitan spot par excellence”.
From the lobby through to La Table de l’Espadon, via Le Bar Vendôme, the Winter Garden, Les Jardins de l’Espadon and Le Salon Proust, the entire life of this legendary palace hotel revolved around Chanel’s iconic show. What was particularly remarkable: 20 celebrities glided through the fitting room to create this Café Society ambience. They included Chanel ambassadresses Lily-Rose Depp, Ellie Bamber and Alice Dellal, as well as Cara Delevingne, Sistine Stallone, Georgia May Jagger and more. All wore little veils or crowns of roses on their heads, and brogues or suede patchwork thigh boots on their feet. “No camellias this season, it’s all about roses!” Lagerfeld declared. Chanel’s ambassador, Pharrell Williams and Levi Dylan, Bob Dylan’s grandson, complete the exceptional cast.
Very elegant and inspired by “the evening dresses that women used to wear to dine at the Ritz” according to Lagerfeld, this incredibly Parisian collection focused on a silhouette with a well-defined waist and lengthy godets that caress the calf. Cream, white, navy blue and black along with flashes of red and scintillating golden hues dominated the palette. Embroideries worked to the max, sophisticated sunray pleats, marabou and ostrich feathers reflect the skills of those artistic craftspeople who work in Chanel’s Métiers d’art ateliers.
The collection included new ultra-feminine versions of the iconic Chanel jacket, adorned with braids made from pearls or tweed roses, floral embroidery and Plexiglas buttons. The iconic Chanel suit expressed a new sense of modernity: it even manifested as a double-breasted tuxedo with wide-cut tweed trousers and satin trim. Ample and comfortable coats with bias-cut panels boasted large warming collars and maxi-cuffs in tweed, while others opted for quilted or floral and pearl embroidered denim. Short flowing capes in tweed, felt, embroidered denim and even marabou rubbed shoulders with quilted down versions. Diaphanous skirts in tulle and sunray pleated Lurex skimmed the ankle. The collection also shone a spotlight on knitwear: a sweater with richly embroidered epaulettes, a backless jacket with embroidery intertwined with cashmere, a jersey with puffed sleeves and knitted embroidery…
Completing the silhouettes, the hobo version of the Gabrielle handbag was embroidered, in metallic gold leather or tweed. With the ultimate touch of refinement, the iconic 2.55 handbag was embellished with embroidery that echoes the upholstery of the Ritz Paris itself.
Guests included Chanel ambassadors Vanessa Paradis, Willow Smith, Gaspard Ulliel, Anna Mouglalis, Caroline de Maigret, G-Dragon, Alma Jodorowsky, Clotilde Hesme and Gwei Lun Mei, as well as Géraldine Chaplin, Bella Heathcote, Rowan Blanchard, Carole Bouquet, HRH the Princess of Hanover and the Chinese actor and singer William Chan.