Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Revisiting Chanel's Most Spectacular Runway Shows

Revisiting Chanel's Most Spectacular Runway Shows

Bidding goodbye to one of fashion's most legendary icons, Karl Lagerfeld, here is a look at some of the designer's most memorable shows.

“When I took over Chanel everybody said to me, ‘Don’t touch it. It’s dead…’ And I said to myself, ‘I love that people think that. Now let’s see.’” These are the words of a true fashion icon. Today, we say farewell to a prolific designer, Karl Lagerfeld who passed away this morning at 84 in Paris. Best known for his prolific, news-making observations and idealistic vision, Lagerfeld has touched fashion houses including Chanel, Fendi, and Chloe.

Courtier of Chanel since 1983, the multitalented designer was full of creative force and sharp wisdom within the fashion industry, propelling Chanel into an icon of international luxury. Lagerfeld’s endless imagination and exceptional genius spread across years of tireless design and reinventions of the French brand. Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Lagerfeld has rejuvenated Chanel’s legend, promoting innovation that spreads across artistic horizons in a way that will not be forgotten.

Today, we look back at some of Chanel’s most spectacular shows from a legend whose shining expertise, enchanting collections and ravenous search for the new made him into a fashion mastermind ahead of his time, one who has left his mark on the past, present, and, we are sure of it, future.

Spring 2009 Ready-To-Wear




31 Rue Cambon, the Chanel boutique address in the heart of Paris, was brought to an audience of close to one thousand spectators with a life-sized facade of the home built within the Grand Palais. Madness’ “Our House” played when the doors opened, ushering Chanel-clad pedestrians down a street runway in an array of tweeds, cocktail dresses, and metallics.

Spring 2010 Ready-To-Wear




A huge, imposing barn was conjured in the Grand Palais, illustrating the fairytale-esque side of the Chanel brand. Speckles of golden wheat clung to model’s tousled hair as they emerged from the countryside wonderland of sunny beehives, peasant poppies, and rustic harvests.

Fall 2012 Ready-To-Wear




Amethyst and crystal stalagmites became centre stage at the Chanel Villa as Lagerfeld focused on fierce shapes and precision. Stripes of crystal and glitter lined each of the models’ brows, made fiercely to compliment the show’s fortress-like grand design, complete with jet blue moonstones, geometric angles, and color blocking done in an avant garde manner, reminiscent of the early days of cubism.

Fall 2013 Couture




Inside the Grand Palais, but also inside a dark and dreary apocalyptic theater of wailing opera and futuristic projections. The Emerald City of Atlantis grazes against the Far East frontier in this show when, behind a shabby set of drapes, models surrender to a masterful, 3D illusion, making for the imagined world that gave us all the sentimental feels, making for a sci-fi show reflective of Lagerfeld’s inspiration being brought upon by Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

Fall 2014 Ready-To-Wear




Lagerfeld’s exquisite genius reimagined the world as an all-encompassing supermarket, un grand magasin. This store offered no bargains. The shelves were embellished by thousands of items, making for a fashion candy store, mixing together the concept of pop culture fashion being satirically connected to consumerism.

Spring 2015 Ready-To-Wear




The Haussmannian, Parisian streets became the perfect locale for the designer to stage a feminist protest, honoring the long withheld French tradition of strikes and political manifestations. It was on this Boulevard Chanel that Lagerfeld created an immaculate, fierce street scene that brought every bit of Paris to a standstill. Models hoisted placards with feminist slogans sketched about them, displaying political passion in chanting statements such as “Be different,” “Women first,” and “History is her history.”

Spring 2016 Ready-To-Wear




A Chanel Airlines Terminal was installed in the Grand Palais for this collection, showcasing the concept of strong, empowering women always being on the go nowadays. A departure board was created, listing all the locations that Chanel had once showed such as Shanghai and Dallas. Blue skies were visible from inside the makeshift plane as male and female models handed showcards at a Chanel check-in kiosk. Over ninety looks were shown, between bright prints to crystal-embroidered bodices and full silhouettes, a look for every woman’s point of departure.

Cruise 2017




An open street, Chanel Cruise was staged along Havana’s Main Street with a flock of well known fashion beauties including Kendall Jenner and Gisele Bundchen. With tense relations between Cuba and the U.S. thawing, Lagerfeld offered 700 guests a spectacle welcomed by a brightly colored vintage collection of Cadillacs and Buicks. It was a timeless event that celebrated Cuban culture featured dressed printed with vintage cars and berets ad t shirts of sequins reading “Viva Coco Libre!”

Spring 2018 Ready-To-Wear




The healing power of nature - fresh air, spring water, and greenery brought Chanel up to the cliffs and cascades of waterfalls for this show. The Grand Palais was recreated into a dreamlike, whimsical wonderland lost somewhere in the countryside on the south of France that created an illusory sensation of a summer breeze and childlike rafting across a calm canyon.

Spring 2019 Couture




At the Villa Chanel we awed at Lagerfeld’s show stopping, superhuman approach of serene luxury infused with high chic drama. The Grand Palais in Paris, the January winter cold was forgotten as beyond the doors of Chanel’s estate was transformed into a spectacular, Mediterranean retreat, embracing nature, joy and the exquisite couture the French brand is iconic for. The setting became a quaint country house of blue skies, palm trees, green grass, and clear ponds. Lagerfeld’s love for eighteenth century fashion was reflected in Marie Antoinette-inspired gowns with an abundance of florals and ravishing silhouettes of wrapped bodices embellished with ruffles and ribbons, representing intricate details and stunning craftsmanship.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×