The Runway Rundown: Chanel Cruises Into Marseille For A Brilliant But Blustery Show
Virginie Viard invited the fashion world to the gritty French city for a taste of Chanel's Cruise '24 collection.
Something us Brits are used to is a soggy spring day. Sadly, the UK's editors brought the weather with them as they made the trip to the South of France's typically balmy (in May at least) Marseille for Chanel's Cruise 2024 show.
The weather as its own form of theatre, the show had to go on, wind and chill be damned. In fact, the grey skies somewhat added to the charm of the (almost) gritty Chanel looks that have us rethinking our own summer looks.
Here's everything you need to know about the show...
The Front Row
French-American actor Lily-Rose Depp joined British star Nathalie Emmanuel, Marion Cotillard and the fashion industry's most exalted editors on the chilly, but chic, front row.
Wearing 'fits straight from the runway, Depp welcomed warmer climes in a black crop top, checkered mini skirt, court shoes and a Barbie pink handbag.
The Set and Setting
Chanel's Creative Director Virginie Viard showed off her unexpected city by hosting the Cruise 2024 show in Marseille. Months after hauling fashion's favourites to the UK's capital of cool, Manchester, celebrities, buyers and editors alike gladly traipsed to the South of France for the show.
'Marseille is a city that puts me in touch with my emotions. I tried to capture its power of attraction, its breath of fresh air, and to convey the energy that reigns there. And you couldn't ask for a better backdrop to a runway show than the Cité radieuse,' Viard said of Marseilles.
Hosted at the Brutalist art centre, MAMO, Centre d'art de la Cité, guests enjoyed the juxtaposition of one of fashion's most historic and classic brands against the backdrop of the modern architecture.
The Clothes
Despite the blustery weather, Viard leant into the brutalist backdrop (atop wartime social housing) with a collection of clothes that aimed to prove that Chanel could be for everyone.
'The sun, architecture, music and dance: Marseille also has a very strong sense of freedom. I was inspired by the codes of lifestyle, of everyday life and by all the things that invite movement. The sea and the wind made me want to play with wetsuits,' said Viard of her quotidian clothes. Stacked flip flops, hoodies and holiday-ready short shorts reminded guests to never leave their Chanel tweed for best, while embellished skirt suits ensured the classics were still accounted for.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
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