With a set designed to depict an idealized Paris neighborhood of yesteryear, the Chanel Métiers d’Art runway show on December 1 in Rome was a two-fold homage to French actresses and Italian cinema. The event was produced by Villa Eugenie.
The all black-and-white decor, a nod to late French production designer Alexandre Trauner, boasted cheese shops, wine merchants, bakeries, an oyster bar, and, naturally, a cinema. Models emerged from a Metro staircase and strode by on cobblestone streets patched with asphalt and dotted with curbside puddles. The Parisian neighborhood saw guests seated at bistro tables while young models, dressed in newsboy caps, handed out branded newspapers and later closed the show.
The choice of Rome was, as it would turn out, not random. Designer Karl Lagerfeld’s relationship with the city dates back to 1963, when he designed for Tiziani. Coco Chanel also created the outfits for ’50s actresses Jeanne Moreau, Monica Vitti, and Romy Schneider, all of whom starred in iconic Italian movies.
However, for the modern-day debut, the likes of Rooney Mara and Kristen Stewart sat in the iconic Cinecittà , Italy’s Universal Studios, and took in the venue where Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, and even Zoolander 2 were all shot—and where Lagerfeld himself debuted a new Chanel film, Once and Forever.
Following the screening, the collection was shown in Teatro N°5—Federico Fellini’s favorite studio—before the boutiques, restaurants, and cafés came alive to host an after-party. Performances by DJ Paolo di Nola and Pachanga Boys concluded the evening’s festivities.
