The invitation read “front row only” and true to its inscription there was only front row seating at today’s fall 2016 Chanel show. To give everyone a front row seat, wooden-backed chairs, like the kind you’d find in an atelier, wrapped the entire length of Paris’ Grand Palais. (Invitations came with maps to help guests navigate the three separate entrances.)
That meant each model took a trip down a catwalk that ran well over a mile. One source tells us the runway added up to 1.6 miles (and that’s not including the finale walk). Thank goodness then that the shoes were incredibly practical: pink tweed wellies, flat knee high-boots, and the tiniest of kitten heels.
Yes, the length of the runway was remarkable. But for Karl Lagerfeld, who usually stages grand, Instagram-worthy themed shows, this show was notable in its simplicity: rows of chairs, beige carpeting, a recreation of a salon show of the past.
Nothing to distract from the clothes—classic tweed suits, sporty parkas, tent-like trenches, flowing frocks with corsetry details—which everyone could see up close from their front row seat. Nothing of course, except the celebrity models (Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid)…
KENDALL JENNER WALKS CHANEL FALL 2016
GIGI HADID WALKS CHANEL FALL 2016
The show was almost sweet in its simplicity, such a departure from the normally flashy Chanel shows.
This was made even more charming when Lagerfeld brought his godson and sometimes catwalk model, seven-year-old Hudson Kroenig, out for his finale bow.
HUDSON KROENIG AND KARL LAGERFELD
