The word "replica" tends to be a scandalous one in the world of fashion, yet this time Chanel earned the description quite deliberately. Having first shown its Resort 2023 collection in the not-so-shabby principality of Monaco back in May, the storied French house chose to reproduce the entire show in November, relocating it to Miami and, by all accounts, kicking the whole thing up a notch.
The motivation for giving the collection a second outing was commercial rather than corrective; this was no attempt to perfect a shortcoming. Even so, the result was a high point of the year's calendar, the kind of spectacle that rewarded everyone lucky enough to be in the room.
"It is the best way to celebrate our customers," said Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel's fashion activities and of its holding company. "We cannot invite them all to Paris, or Monaco, or wherever, and it is important for us to be able to bring the collection to them and allow them to engage and connect with it."
Staged at the Faena Hotel Beach, the show unfolded on a set designed by director Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin. US-based VIPs, media and celebrities gathered to soak in the collection's mood, which conjures languorous, carefree summer days spent being exquisitely chic at the beach, by the pool, on a boat or beside a tennis court. They are beautiful looks, made for a beautiful life.
