Chanel Recreates A 1980s Fashion Show For The SS22 Collection

Bringing home the final day of a month of fashion shows, street style spectacles and one too many cocktails parties is the pinnacle of French fashion - the Chanel catwalk show.

The Grand Master, King Karl, had the power to upstage everything that had happened in the previous cities in such a way that your entire Instagram feed was flooded with the Chanel mall, Chanel airways, every colourful car in Cuba and of course the Chanel casino. And his successor, Virginie Viard, is no stranger to an ethereal show set as well.

With extraordinary feats of architecture, alongside next level fashion, the Chanel show has become an iconic moment on the fashion schedule for years, and long may it continue.

Read on for the most otherworldly Chanel show sets...

While the Grand Palais remains closed under refurbishment, the French fashion house erected a 'Grand Palais Éphémère' on Place Joffre for the SS22 ready-to-wear collection. To evoke the Chanel fashion shows of the 1980s Virginia Viard recreated the raised runway, photographer-filled front row and bold 'Chanel' lettering of decade's past.

'I used to love the sound of flashbulbs going off at the shows in the ’80s, when the models were on a raised runway,' Viard wrote in the show notes. 'I wanted to recapture that emotion.'

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Creative Director Virginie Viard recreated a summer village wedding in the Grand Palais for the SS21 Couture show. With Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Lily-Rose Depp as esteemed guests.

'I knew we couldn't organise a big show, that we would have to invent something else, so I came up with the idea of a small cortege that would come down the stairs of the Grand Palais and pass beneath arches of flowers. Like a family celebration, a wedding.' Viard said.

The simple, but no less moving set, feels somewhat fantastical in a year where weddings are limited, bringing hope to Haute Couture fashion week.

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For Chanel's final show of 2020 the fashion house took the world to France, Château de Chenonceau in the Loire valley to be precise, for the 2020/21 Métiers d’art show. Seen only by Kristen Stewart, the models walked the empty rooms in a show titled, ‘Le Château des Dames’.

Watch the full show here.

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Harking back to the golden age of cinema, Chanel recreated the Hollywood sign in the Grand Palais.

Models walked between the iconic brand's oversized lettering for the SS21 show, that hosted a reduced crowd due to the ongoing pandemic.

Continuing her stream of more understated show sets, creative director Virginie Viard transformed the Grand Palais into a minimalist map. A more graphic take on the environmental theme that has run throughout fashion month, Viard had guests sit on swirling white benches that, from an aerial view, revealed themselves to be ordnance survey lines that you would find on a geographical map.

Creative Director Virginie Viard transformed the Grand Palais into a garden inspired by the garden of the Cistercian monastery in Aubazine named Aubazine Abbey.

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Turning to the founder of the fashion house for inspiration, Creative Director Virginie Viard recreated Coco Chanel's iconic mirrored Parisian apartment inside the Grand Palais for the Metiers d'Art 19/20 show.

Virginie Viard recreated the rooftops of Paris in the Grand Palais for Chanel's SS20 show. Featuring chimneys and brick work, the set is slightly more laid-back than Karl Lagerfield's previous creations.

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For Virginie Viard's first Chanel Haute Couture show the new Creative Director transformed the Grand Palais into the most impressive library ever.

A central circular pillar housed thousands of books with guest seated on the stairs to view the show.

For the final Chanel show under Karl Lagerfeld's creative direction the Grand Palais in Paris was transformed into an alpine winter wonderland Chanel called, 'Chalet Gardenia'. ELLE UK's Cat Callender, present for the momentous occasion said of the atmosphere, 'That crispness that you get in the mountains and the uplifting feel that you get skiing or in a snowy environment is what is going on here. It is sad, yes as this is a post Karl moment, but the feeling in here is uplifting and light.'

For Lagerfeld's penultimate show with Chanel he envisioned the Grand Palais as 'Villa Chanel'. For the set a terracotta villa stood over an 18th Century garden.

For the Chanel Métiers d'Art 18/19 collection, Lagerfeld opted for The Met museum as his set.

The Grand Palais referenced its own city for SS19. Chanel revealed, the set 'brings to life the inspirations drawn from the sights and sounds of Paris. Promenades by the Seine lead past the French capital's green open-air book stalls.'

Said to be inspired by Lagerfield's childhood years holidaying on the island of Sylt his SS19 beach set was complete with a jetty (from which Karl Lagerfeld watched the finale), beach huts, actual sand and real, lapping waves.

As models like Gigi and Bella walked the runway, they quietly passed a 148-metre-long ship complete with on-board piano bar and swimming pool. Would it be a Karl Lagerfeld show if it wasn't totally extra? After the Cruise 2019 collection finale, all guests were invited onto the boat (named La Pausa after Chanel’s villa in the Cote d’Azur) to party until the early hours.

Lagerfeld outdid himself during the AW17 show season, by ordering a life-size rocket ship reconstruction, inside the Grand Palais in Paris. Not only did he turn the Palais into a space station but the rocket actually appeared to take off during the February 2017 show.

Before the spectacle of the Cruise show even began the Chanel fun and games had only just started. The streets of Havana were a carnival themed riot of coloured chevrolets. Instagram was flooded for days.

Then came the actual Chanel cruises show, staged down a promenade with live musicians. Models sauntered up and down in white ruffled skirts, boater hats, Riviera style wide-leg trousers and everything else you would need for the chicest holiday wardrobe.

Serenity isn't something ordinarily associated with the Chanel spectacles but for the Couture spring show this was an ode to zen-like mother nature. Lush green grass, clear blue skies, and cedar trees framed a simple-pleasures modernist house. There wasn't much else needed after you took sight of the breath-taking couture gowns.

Welcome to Karl Lagerfeld's Paris in Rome. What beats a dramatic chanel show set? A dramatic Chanel show set abroad. The designer uprooted the City of Lights and love to Italy and transformed Rome into romantic rues, boulangerie boys, cute fleur shops and bistro table-laden cafés. And this was before the clothes arrived.

Welcome to Karl Lagerfeld's Paris in Rome. What beats a dramatic chanel show set? A dramatic Chanel show set abroad. The designer uprooted the City of Lights and love to Italy and transformed Rome into romantic rues, boulangerie boys, cute fleur shops and bistro table-laden cafés. And this was before the clothes arrived.

All aboard Chanel airways report to gate No. 5, obviously. For SS16 Karl Lagerfeld took the Chanel show global. Coloured tweed suits finished off with a quilted travel case wheeled round the airport like set. Only this could happen at a Chanel show.

This show was worth the gamble. Taking centre stage at the Couture Fall show actors Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart kicked off the Chanel casino with a round of blackjack before models made their way to the runway - and by runway we mean the casino floor.

This show was worth the gamble. Taking centre stage at the Couture Fall show actors Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart kicked off the Chanel casino with a round of blackjack before models made their way to the runway - and by runway we mean the casino floor.

Imagine a fashion show that is actually set in a café, take your seat for the Chanel AW15 show. Café style tables took over at the Grand Palais where editors and buyers alike sat with friends, sipping on a Chanel coffee and nibbling on a Chanel croissant as models circled the super bar set up in the middle of the runway. Breakfast bliss.

An origami minefield was the stage for the Chanel Couture Spring show. A magical paper wonderland made even more wonderful by the interjectory male models who carried branches of flowers behind every couture clad maiden.

Another show another destination, this time Salzburg. With a salon style show that tempted the audience before the clothes even arrived. Banquet style tables fit for a King (or just Karl) saturated the room with every treat going.

The Grand Palais once again under went a transformation and this time it was the turn of the feminist march powered by the likes of Gisele, Cara and Kate. Placards, banners and megaphone boomed the words, 'women rule' as the girls took the the 'street' proclaiming love not hate.

Possibly the most iconic catwalk show to date, the Chanel supermarket was a shopping experience like no other. Shelves upon shelves of Chanel product was on displace from washing up powder to lemonade. (Where did it all go afterwards?) as models hit the Grand Palais with trolley in tow stocking up on the essentials.

Possibly the most iconic catwalk show to date, the Chanel supermarket was a shopping experience like no other. Shelves upon shelves of Chanel product was on displace from washing up powder to lemonade. (Where did it all go afterwards?) as models hit the Grand Palais with trolley in tow stocking up on the essentials.

Welcome to Dallas, Texas for the Chanel Metiers D'Art show. There's rodeos and then there are Chanel rodeos: flags bearing the red, white and blue, models decked out in cowboy hats and boots and a finale stampede that could have passed as the Pamplona.

Welcome to Dallas, Texas for the Chanel Metiers D'Art show. There's rodeos and then there are Chanel rodeos: flags bearing the red, white and blue, models decked out in cowboy hats and boots and a finale stampede that could have passed as the Pamplona.