Our commitment to the world of fashion is so great that on
Tuesday, we journeyed by car, plane and boat, and all the way to a desert
island to see the Chanel Cruise collection for 2014/5 – although, admittedly, the
experience was less wild, beardy Tom Hanks in Castaway, more chic island-luxe.
On Tuesday, Selections’ Rima Nasser arrived in Dubai and travelled to Karl
Lagerfeld’s Arabian retreat on The Island, where against the grandiose backdrop
of a blaze of sunset and the futuristic skyline, shisha tents and candles
dotted the landscape.
1000 guests sat within the custom-built, mashrabiya-silhouetted
structure and enjoyed a show daubed in the classic Chanel colour palette of
white, black and beige, interrupted by moments of fuschia, midnight blue and
red and floral prints. Oriental art was reinterpreted into contemporary lines
and forms across the likes of three-piece suits, long and mini tunics, short
overalls, and boleros.
Following the show, fashion editors and models – as well as
celebrities including Tilda Swinton, Freida Pinto, and Dakota Fanning – traded
hasty between-shows Marlboro Lights for a relaxed puff on an arghila, gathered
around lantern-lit tables and to the soundtrack of Moroccan musicians. If this
is island living, then we’re ready to get shipwrecked.
