St. Tropez – Chanel took over St. Tropez this week with a premiere packed with movie stars for a fashion film directed by the house's designer Karl Lagerfeld, a hotly contested championship of petanque, the local term for boules, and a classy cruise runway show on the chic port's dockside Tuesday night, May 11.Some 30 top international catwalk models were ferried across the port in a small fleet of Aquarama Rivas - the chocolate brown Italian speedboats that are considered the Ferraris of the seas - to reach the dockside runway.
As dusk fell on the Mediterranean port, the models marched along the dock between the red lacquered tables and chairs of the famed Senequier cafe before an audience that included actress Diane Kruger, Chanel ambassadress Vanessa Paradis and Elisa Sednaoui, currently France's hottest actress.
"St. Tropez has always been about joie de vivre, about indulging the spirits. It's such a beautiful and particular place," said Lagerfeld, after unveiling his 2010 Cruise collection for the house.
Heavy security effectively caused a lock down of the port, as thousands of locals craned out of windows or leaned out of nearby cafes to catch a glimpse of the show, which marked a return home for Chanel cruise to France. Previous cruise shows have been staged as far apart as Shanghai, Miami, London, Los Angeles and Venice.
Lagerfeld opened with a series of semi-sheer Impressionist hued chiffon haute hippie dresses, worn by bare foot models whose insouciance summed up the easy elegance of this collection.
With the audience of international editors and well-heeled clients sipping on champagne, the models strolled by in seductive micro-minis paired with Chanel's classic metal belts with carnation buckles, delicately sequined pleated blouses and sexily fringed chiffon cocktail dresses with split sides.
Using a palette of amber browns, peppermint greens, sunset red and navy blues, Lagerfeld also showed lots of denim pants and pleated party dresses like the one worn by Georgia May Jagger, daughter of rock star Mick Jagger, who hopped on the back of an all black Harley Davidson at the show's finale.
Runway star Freja Beha sauntered out in an all white pants suit, the same she wore in the Lagerfeld-directed movie, "Remember Now," an ironic commentary on the dangers of nostalgia that was unveiled to some 200 guests the night before in an old cinema in St. Tropez's main market square.
The movie starred veteran French actor Pascal Gregory as a rich dandy returning to St. Tropez after a three decade absence and feeling faintly offended at the new generation's lack of knowledge of its past. When he tells his date that he's looking for the house of Colette, France's most famous female novelist, the girl responds: "Is she a famous singer?"
Post show, Chanel's beautiful people split up into teams of three for a mini petanque contest.
"I want to go first," cried Kruger, attired in a black singlet, flared mini and mini straw sun hat, as she tossed her boule into the dirt tracks of the square.
The designer's guard of dashing dudes, Sebastian Jondeau and handsome model Baptiste Giabiconi won first prize, hoisting their pearl-encrusted cup high into the air as they posed with Lagerfeld in a tempest of paparazzi flashes. And what did the cup have as an emblem? A Chanel double CC logo, of course.
