There must be something in the water this season, as SS19 has been obsessed with liquid.
Wet hair looks have dominated from Calvin Klein’s Jaws bonanza at New York Fashion Week, through to Ashish’s soaking-wet club kids in London. In Paris, we have seen models walk on water for both L’Oreal and Saint Laurent’s shows, and now Chanel has transported a literal beach to The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées.
Competing with previous seasons' supermarkets and rocket-launches, this time around the show's set recreated an idyllic and incredibly realistic beach scene.
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Complete with a jetty (from which Karl Lagerfeld watched the finale), beach huts, actual sand and real, lapping waves, SS19 Chanel was the beach break all of fashion editors needed after four weeks of city-hopping and fashion shows.
On the last day of fashion month, the relief was near-palpable in the French capital-come-seaside. Said to be inspired by Lagerfield's childhood years holidaying on the island of Sylt, the clothing matched the theme's youthful joie de vivre.
ELLE UK's Cat Callender said that the collection was felt positively 'relaxed.'
Focussing on sorbet shades for daywear, and unexpected black for lazy summer nights, silhouettes were often oversized and and fabric choices unexpected (tweed sarongs, anyone?).
The positively fun spectacle was encouraged with OG Baywatch star Pamela Anderson sitting FROW in cream Chanel. Whilst other A-listers present included Poppy Delevingne, Vanessa Paradis and Pharrell Williams.
Accessories such as straw hats, fingerless gloves and beach ball bags lent further levity to the proceedings and models skipped and played on the plage, shoes in hand with smiles on their faces.
Supermodels Adwoa Aboah, Kaia Gerber and Edie Campbell all graced the bay, with 17 year-old Gerber's ensemble also proving logomania is far from dead.
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.
