Chanel Fashions Time-ly Store Opening

To promote the launch of its new sales outlet in Holt Renfrew on Boor St., Chanel Boutique joined forces with Time magazine, which was looking to promote the Canadian launch of Time Style & Design, and host an event for 300 in the store. Given that the magazine's first cover features a model wearing Chanel fashions, the pairing "just made sense," said Anny Kazanjian, Chanel's executive director of public relations and fashion promotion.Audi Canada, one of Time's mainstay advertisers, supported the event by providing chauffeured rides to Holt Renfrew in Audi Q7s to a bevy of celebrities—including singers Fefe Dobson and Divine Brown and actresses Tara Spencer-Nairn and Alberta Watson. Campari and Sky Vodka provided cocktails combining the same ingredients while 10tation passed hors d'oeuvres such as miniature Kobe beef burgers on sesame buns, Peking duck and shitake mushrooms in crepes, and chocolate truffles with the Chanel logo inscribed in white chocolate. Ford Models supplied models for a fashion show featuring Karl Lagerfeld's new Chanel line for men.

Chanel clothing and accessories were prominently on display in the boutique, but—with the notable exceptions of a white and chrome bar from Signature Rentals and a modern black DJ table from Third from the Sun—supplementary decor was more noticeable by its absence. Kazanjian purposefully limited the decor to ensure that the Chanel brand would stand out. "The objective of the event was to underline the new Chanel boutique," she said. "The celebrity guests in attendance gave the event its requisite cachet."

Photos from: Tom Sandler