Chanel Flies the Friendly Skies
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. - "Live from Paris, Chanel Line No. 5. Please be careful when opening the overhead compartments. Some quilted bags may fall out."
With that loudspeaker pronouncement, Chanel's Cruise presentation took off, literally. Two Challenger 601 jets pulled up to Hangar 8 at Santa Monica Airport on Friday night, the doors popped open, and the models stepped out in a tour de force show that only Chanel could have pulled off.
The stage was made up to look like an arrival lounge with three levels of white banquettes and a giant arrivals monitor announcing Karl Lagerfeld's landing in Los Angeles. The 60 or so looks were a lighthearted take on the private travel theme, from Chanel's version of a stewardess getup to a cozy floor-length cardigan.
"It has a sportif touch," Lagerfeld said before the show. "It's the idea of flying, which is a nightmare today, and the make-belief it still could be divine. I like the idea."
So did the 500 guests, who included Demi Moore, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Claudia Schiffer, Victoria Beckham, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan. "That was so cool, no?" gasped Diane Kruger, who had jetted in from the Cannes Film Festival.
Lagerfeld's favorite piece? His-and-hers sequinned black robes, for "Hollywood producers and people like them at their swimming pool."