Fashion designers are getting more and more creative when it comes to their runway shows. One of the most interesting shows we’ve seen recently is Chanel’s 2015 Couture show.
It featured a unique concept, as the ‘runway’ was a casino gaming floor – complete with high-profile gamblers playing casino games!
The Concept
Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Director of Chanel, built a casino inside of the Grand Palais in Paris. It was fitted out with casino table games, as models worked their way through the setting wearing Chanel’s latest couture designs. There were even slot machines lined up on the outer walls.
At the tables, plenty of celebrity guests were playing craps, roulette and blackjack. Kristen Stewart, Rita Ora and Julianne Moore were all in attendance, looking stunning as they gambled in the makeshift casino.
Check it out here:
The Fashion
There was a very distinct theme in the collection with flapper dresses and jewel tones that are reminiscent of the classic Casino Royale. So, the casino theme was certainly appropriate. “I like that elegant moment of beautiful people going into a casino wearing jewellery,” Lagerfeld says. “It’s like a fantasy.” ‘Fantasy’ is certainly the key word.
Many of the pieces that walked the runway would cost over $100 000, so most people could only dream of wearing these types of clothes.
Lagerfeld is certainly known for creating outrageous runway shows. In 2013, his Spring/Summer collection was displayed on a runway lined with giant windmills.
That same year, his Fall/Winter collection for Chanel was showcased on a round runway surrounding a huge, spinning globe.
The Good
The runway show presented casinos as more sophisticated and less seedy than they are normally portrayed nowadays. It showcased a collection of beautiful clothes in a unique way, relating fashion to casinos and highlighting the glamourous lifestyle of celebrities that wear Chanel clothing and visit high-class gaming establishments.
The Bad
We can see why this runway theme would not go over well with responsible gambling advocates. Over the years, there have been countless complaints about advertisements that glamourize gambling - even when doing so in a modest way.
So, a fashion show that literally related gambling to glamour may be a little bit controversial. Fortunately, Chanel’s 2015 Couture fashion show has escaped criticism thus far.
