Scene setting: It's the last day of fashion month and showgoers are so depleted of energy that they are already dreaming of next year's summer holidays, even if October has barely started. And Karl Lagerfeld was there to indulge all their fantasies of fun in the sun. For the occasion, Paris's Grand Palais was transformed into a beach, complete with white sand, tiki huts, life guards, seagull sounds and yes, even waves. One would be forgiven for feeling the incontrollable urge to go barefoot and dip one's toes into the "ocean". Which is exactly what the models proceeded to do, while Michel Gaubert mixed a selection of French Eighties pop anthems.
Best in show: Karl's favourite girls – there was Kaia Gerber of course, but also Adwoa Aboah, Edie Campbell, Marjan Jonkman and Adesuwa – strutted along the coast holding their little flat sandals in their hands (they only briefly slipped them on for the pictures). They were wearing Chanel tweed suits, yes, but this time the skirts had slits revealing mini shorts underneath, almost like tweed pareos. Chanel classics – the petite robe noire, the fitted knitwear – were not lacking, but there was also an abundance of millennial eye candy. There were the wide-legged jeans and the cropped graphic shirts. And, of course, the accessories.
Finishing touches: If we had to choose a single hot accessory for next summer, that would be the straw hat. It's been ubiquitous on this month's catwalks, especially in Paris, and Chanel was no exception. Along with traditional shapes, there were straw baseball caps with the Chanel logo spelled front and back. Then, there were the bags. Judging by Lagerfeld's proposal, next summer we'll be wearing not one but two 2.55 bags, cross-body and held together by a little logo-ed clip. Elsewhere, irresistible novelty bags included mini picnic baskets and colourful beach balls. The moral of the story? Life's a beach and you'd better we wearing Chanel when your feet touch the sand. §
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