(Paris) Flowery and luminous, the Chanel woman, in flip-flops, overflows with joie de vivre in a fashion show inspired by the Villa Noailles, in the south of France, a mecca of the Roaring Twenties which is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Swimsuits and bathrobes, soft suits, a play of asymmetries and transparencies: the colors of the South illuminate this ready-to-wear collection presented Tuesday in Paris, in a setting reproducing the avant-garde architecture of the villa and its cubist checkerboard garden, on the hills of Hyères.
“This ready-to-wear collection is an ode to freedom and movement and tells a story that takes its source in the gardens of the Villa Noailles,” explains Chanel artistic director Virginie Viard in the show notes.
“It’s been a long, long story between Chanel and the villa,” adds Bruno Pavlovsky, president of the luxury brand’s fashion department.
Designed in 1923 by Robert Mallet-Stevens for patrons Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, this jewel of modernism was one of the most influential art centers of the 1920s and inspired the greats of the time: Giacometti created his first sculpture there, Man Ray shot his short film The Mysteries of the Château de Dé.
On the catwalk, the elegance is nonchalant with the profusion of geometric patterns, checks and stripes in sunny colors.
The shoes are flat, black flip-flops or ballet flats. Black evening dresses, on the other hand, are worn with sky blue boots, another nod to Provence.
We go out in multi-colored tweed bathrobes or with striped terrycloth jackets.
Neoprene suits, lace dresses and pants are adorned with floral patterns. The suits are lightened, without shoulder pads or lining. Jackets and cardigans are worn like dresses. Shorts are omnipresent, in mini or Bermuda shorts.
The black sunglasses with gold chains are nods to Gabrielle Chanel and Marie-Laure de Noailles, united by their strength of character and their proximity to the avant-garde.
“Sophistication and relaxation, the tweed that runs through the entire collection, sportswear and lace: I sought to bring together one thing and its opposite around the coolest spirit possible,” underlines Virginie Viard.
For almost 40 years, Villa Noailles has hosted the Hyères international fashion festival, a springboard for young designers who have launched the careers of several star designers, such as Anthony Vaccarello of Saint-Laurent.
Jean-Pierre Blanc, founder of the festival, discovers the parade decor with great emotion: “It’s crazy, it’s absolutely incredible. Can you imagine the most beautiful fashion house in the world” which places its show in the Villa Noailles!
