Chanel Métiers d’Art 2016 – Paris in Rome

Perhaps the most anticipated runway show of the year, Chanel’s annual Métiers d’Art collection is not hosted by any particular fashion week. In its twelfth year, the pre-fall collection takes on the spirit of a different city each collection. In the past it’s been Dubai, Salzburg, Dallas and Edinburgh. This year it is Rome. More specifically, it took place in the Cinecitta film studio No. 5. The set the show took place on, in classic Métiers d’Art fashion, was an elaborate depiction of Paris in the not-so-distant past. The streets are lined with boulangeries, fromageries, wine merchants and, most importantly, a classic cinema.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7BekYMFR8g[/youtube]

Then there’s the collection. The Italian design sensibility may stand in stark contrast to its French counterpart, but Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld managed to bring them together as seamlessly. Coco Chanel once kept a flat on Via Giulia and this show pays homage to her past in the Eternal City.

Lagerfeld has visited Rome exactly 827 times (or at least he had at the time of the show in December 2015). He’s kept a notebook tallying his trips which have been especially frequent during his tenure as Fendi’s lead creative.

Rome was selected this year to coincide with the opening of Chanel’s fourth flagship in Italy, this time opposite the Spanish steps. Half of Chanel’s products are made in Italy, so it was high time the French heritage brand gave the nation a sartorial nod.

Intricate black lace stockings, leather paneling, pearl accoutrements and head-to-toe boucle were all spotted on the elaborate runway. The show also marked Bella Hadid’s Chanel runway debut and introduced a new choice accessory: a black bag created in the likeness of a Hollywood Golden Age camera.

For more information on Chanel’s Métiers d’Arts 2016 collection, please contact your Insignia Personal Assistant.