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Some luxury brands, including Chanel, had
tentatively returned to the catwalk with live audiences, but
governments have since brought in fresh restrictions on movement
due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France and elsewhere.
So the French label turned the Chateau de Chenonceau into a
glamorous online showcase for its Metiers D'art collection - a
display of its finest craftsmanship under designer Virginie
Viard, who succeeded the late Karl Lagerfeld.
Medieval-style tunics in tweed or rich velvet populated the
runway, followed by bejewelled dresses fit for Renaissance
princesses. Some dresses and skirts were worn over leggings,
giving styles a modern twist - with a hint of the court jester.
With hulking fireplace behind them and beneath heavy-set
chandeliers, models walked through a black and white stone
hallway. The lozenge motif was echoed on gowns, including a mesh
dress and a chequered black-and-white full tweed skirt.
Some styles were enhanced with fur-style trimmings on cuffs and
lapels while models more elaborate pearl necklaces, and some
sported heraldic symbols recalling the fleur-de-lis on knitted
tops.
American actress Kristin Stewart, one of the faces of Chanel in
its advertising campaigns, looked on from inside the hall, as a
lone front row spectator.
Known for its arched bridge over the River Cher, the Chateau de
Chenonceau was shaped by the women who first lived there,
including noblewoman Diane de Poitiers, royal mistress to King
Henry II, and Catherine de Medici, the king's widow.
It is also known as the Chateau des Dames.
(Reporting by Sarah White; editing by John Stonestreet)
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