Creative Director Virginie Viard ushered in her new era for the house of Chanel in Paris this week after working alongside Karl Lagerfeld on the collections for over 30 years. Presenting the Chanel’s Cruise 2020 show in Paris, Viard stayed true the house codes established by Lagerfeld for her 79 look collection set in The Nave of the Grand Palais.
For Cruise 2020, Viard transformed the Grand Palais into a Parisian train station in the Beaux-Arts style, complete with platforms and an elegant café-restaurant Le Riviera. Playing with the iconic Chanel tweed jacket, Viard coupled the key piece with trousers in leather or hessian. Braids and bows in satin, white camellias worn as brooches, ladder lace arranged like train tracks, ornate finishes reminiscent of bygone lines and removable Bertha organdie collars all reinforce the charm of Viard’s dresses and blouses.
Overall the collection reinforced that the tracks laid by Lagerfeld were solid enough to support future growth for the house with Viard driving the train. ‘All aboard.’
