It wouldn't be the last day of Paris Fashion Week without an awe-inspiring set and spectacle from Chanel as the grand finale to a month of shows. This morning, Chanel surpassed all previous installations, including last season's space shuttle, with the largest set in the French fashion house's history as Karl Lagerfeld recreated the Verdon Gorge (a river canyon in Provence, France, often considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful) in the Grand Palais, complete with waterfall and streams. But before you ponder on the expense and, more importantly, the waste and carbon footprint of recreating such an impressive scene that took two months to construct, all the grey water used was recycled and the tonnes of real plants placed around the verdant show space will soon be replanted.
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So what does a Chanel girl wear for an adventure in the Verdon Gorge? Well, each model was well equipped for water, wearing knee-high plastic boots, transparent hooded waterproof coats over classic bouclé twinsets and tweed-trimmed shorts with see-through gloves and plastic wide-brimmed hats. Bags were aquamarine and pearlescent to continue the water theme, while the palette of the clothes varied from cream, pink and black ruffled dresses and blouses to turquoise, green and iridescent gowns that reflected the "natural" surroundings. Jewellery was piled on, from glittering cuffs and beaded chokers to huge drop earrings and layers of pearl chains.
While Chanel regulars Lily-Rose Depp, Cara Delevingne and Kendall Jenner were notably absent, the new generation of social media supermodels, Kaia Gerber and Adwoa Aboah, were joined on the catwalk by Arizona Muse, Mariacarla Boscono, Charlotte Free and Soo Joo Park.
For SS18, Lagerfeld's contemporary water nymphs were as bold as they were beautiful. Though we can't really imagine many dedicated Chanel customers traversing canyons and gorges in this glamorous get-up, we can count on Karl to make PVC luxury and waterproofs over tweeds truly aspirational.