Chanel Cruise Collection

Over the last few weeks a growing number of brands and designers have been announcing on social media that they will be stepping away from the traditional fashion calendar. Alessandro Michele, creative director at Gucci, has been particularly outspoken calling the current schedule ‘stale & underfed.’ Although there has been a conversation about the pressure the existing hectic calendar puts on designers, it has never materialised into any real change until the coronavirus tore through the fashion world cancelling all future shows in its wake. It will be interesting to see how many more designers take a new approach to the show season post pandemic. One brand that has made their stance on the subject perfectly clear though is Chanel.

Bruno Pavlovsky, President of fashion at Chanel, announced that the house will continue with no change to their current schedule of six shows a year. This decision included going ahead with their upcoming cruise show, Balade en Méditerranée, that should’ve taken place on May 7 on the island of Capri. However, due to travel restrictions, the first major show since lockdown ended up taking place in front of a sunset backdrop of Capri in a photography studio in Paris. The presentation this year took the form of a seven minute video shot by photographer Karim Sadli and posted on the brand’s website and IGTV. In the video model’s posed on a charcoal grey pebbled ‘beach’ whilst tracks by Venezuelan artist and producer Arca played in the background.

At a time where people are buying less but better Virginie Viard’s collection struck the right note in presenting totally wearable and, most importantly, versatile destination wardrobe staples. Swimsuits styled as bodies and worn under wide legged trousers are a key example of how easily transitional a lot of the looks are. There were of course reimagined versions of the classic tweed Chanel skirt suit, but this time they were offered up in bright pink and orchid hues styled simply with thin chain belts. Denim made a big appearance in the forms of high waisted flared jeans, plastered with logos and floral details, and light wash shorts cut just below the knee. There were black sheer ensembles that revealed high waisted black bikini sets sitting underneath and Chanel’s take on the infamous nano bag in white quilted leather. 

I wasn’t expecting to like the collection as much as I did, sometimes Chanel’s cruise collections leave me wondering why and who actually buys the clothes. But Viard is starting to change my mind, her collections appear to be a lot more commercial, therefore more wearable and she’s clearly focusing on reinventing staples ensuring they appeal to a new generation of consumers. A good move considering that’s how Coco Chanel created such an enduring brand.

However as much I liked the clothes, Chanel is a billion dollar brand with a sky’s the limit budget, they’ve turned the Grand Palais in Paris into everything from a supermarket to an airport terminal. At some point this pandemic will be over, travelling will no longer be an issue and a cruise collection could be held in the real Capri. But, for now Chanel could’ve taken their audience anywhere, even somewhere that doesn’t exist, fashion loves escapism and right now that’s what a lot of people are crying out for. With endless possibilities why choose to mimic something that already exists. The coronavirus is forcing brands to adapt in ways they’ve never had to before, surely there’s no better time to do something unexpected and exciting, fashion can only move forward when people are innovative. Pavlovsky once said that Chanel is one of the leading houses when it comes to creativity. This could have been a chance for the house to showcase that and push the creative boundaries a lot further than a 7 minute video on a pretend beach in front of a green screen sunset.