Chanel Supermarket Descends Into Mayhem, Looting — We’re Only Mildly Shocked

By all accounts, the Chanel-themed supermarket was a thing of wonder (see it before the ransacking here). Chanel-branded tins of coffee, tea, and "Coco" — we see what you did there, Karl — filled Paris' Grand Palais. There was Chanel charcuterie, mineral water, and sardines. There was even a hardware section fully stocked with Chanel brooms, doormats, and hammers — because it can be so tough to get to Home Depot in between Ungaro and Saint Laurent.

At the end of the show, an announcement was made that the audience members could help themselves to the fruits and vegetables on display — admirably, Chanel planned to donate all nonperishable food items to food banks. But, fashion people apparently have selective hearing when there are double-C doormats on the line. The audience grabbed at anything and everything, leaving shelves as bare as the Kroger in a town expecting a hurricane. Thankfully, individuals were forced to return any non-fruit and veggie items before they left, so no food was actually taken out of needy people's mouths.

What do you think of the Chanel Costco experience? Is it Karl Lagerfeld's knowing wink at his brand as the apex of consumer culture? Is it pure spectacle, proving that Lagerfeld is, among other things, a master of mise-en-scène? Do you think Lagerfeld or many of his guests have ever actually shopped in a real supermarket? (And, do they use the sale circular?) Or, is it a troubling sign that fashion people could transform, Wolfman-like, at any moment into nefarious looters? We don't want to profile here — but we may clutch our pocketbooks a little closer next time we see a Vogue editor walking our way...