Plunge Into The Dreamworld Of Los Angeles
Virginie Viard’s 2023/24 runway brought California sporty vibes, with Snoop Dogg performing and guests from Margot Robbie to Sofia Richie.
The worlds of film and high fashion have long been intertwined. Whether through costume design, red-carpet fashion moments or celebrity-led campaigns, the two industries have developed a powerful symbiotic relationship. This is why the location for Chanel’s 2023/24 peppy and playful Cruise show, which the brand presented at Paramount Pictures Studio in Los Angeles, made perfect sense.
It was such a splashy spectacle that even as the models strutted the black-and-white Chanel basketball court, which was set off by two large scoreboards, Snoop Dogg could be seen dancing in his comfy bleacher seat.
Dubbed Virginie Viard’s “Ode to the City of Angels,” the runway show marked Chanel’s return to Los Angeles after 16 years away.
Inside Paramount’s lot, the runway itself was set up like for a game, with bleacher seats, scoreboards and stadium lighting.
Another large screen, this one as long as the court, played a variety of black-and-white videos of dancing Chanel models and aerial images of a Los Angeles filled with palm trees.
Viard, Chanel’s creative director, brought her vision of Californian sporty vibes to life in the show with a lot of Barbie references: pink leisure looks, sherbet-coloured tweed sets, swimsuits, sports bras and tote bags in shades that brought Pacific sunsets to mind.
A highlight was the light-up rainbow heels that were featured with a number of looks. This was not a first for Chanel, as Karl Lagerfeld used light-up heels in collections in 2008 and 2011, but Viard’s take was nostalgic and feminine.
This collection wasn’t all candy colours; there were black leather dresses, cut-out bodysuits, aerobics-worthy activewear and a few silhouettes that paid tribute to old-Hollywood glamour, but with a modern twist.
After the nearly 30-minute show wrapped up, Viard took a bow and made a short strut of her own while attendees applauded her efforts. Audience members were entertained before and after the event by roller skaters who slithered through the crowd and occasionally danced in synchrony.
For his surprise performance, Snoop Dogg kept the good times rolling with a medley of his hits.
Often, it’s the age-old questions that are the hardest to answer: So, what’s the next trend going to be? Whatever it is, Hollywood will continue its collaboration with fashion — reflecting, defining and letting the world see its more approachable attitude toward fashion and fun.
CHANEL’S 2023/24 CRUISE COLLECTION COMBINES THE CLASSIC CODES OF CHANEL, THE GLAMOUR OF 1920S AND ’30S HOLLYWOOD AND THE SPORTY ESSENCE OF ’70S AND ’80S AEROBICS AND DANCE.
