The reigning silhouette at the Chanel Cruise 2016/2017 collection was undoubtedly one of great demure and elegance. There was much of Karl Lagerfeld’s altruism in this collection, starting with the long masculine jacket paired with wide trousers, flat two-tone shoes, a Panama hat and ending with the designer’s “debutant dress”, also perceived as an organza embroidered petticoat matched with a mess jacket and white shirt with a tie.

Lagerfeld told a distinctly Cuban story with an exceptional French twist, which translated into his own version of the traditional Cuban shirt “guayabera”. He called it the “Cuban tux” and made sure it went well for all occasions! A riot of this Cuban mystery took over the stage, as silhouettes were seen wearing it as a transparent blouse with rolled-up chino trousers or even as a black see-through organza blouse with a flared skirt. Models paraded down the runway one after the other wearing military garments, from shorts and jacket suits to tweed-fringed parkas, short-sleeve shirts, cycling shorts with rhinestones and embroideries, dresses with scooped necklines, pencil skirts and the iconic Buick, Oldsmobile and Cadillac prints. Colors skewed from yellow to pink, orange, turquoise and bright green, perfectly representing Cuba’s precious culture. Perhaps the numbers that created the most buzz were the sequins dresses and embroidered tweed garments.

It was an all Cuban fest inspired by the town’s most legendary personas, from Wilfredo Lam to the great Che Guevara. Indeed, we finally saw the fruits of Largefeld’s ingenuity, as the crowd was seemingly caught up in a whirlpool of tropical embroideries. Cigar motifs, Panama hats and sequin black berets.

The night sure didn’t end there, as it picked up a festive pace at the Plaza de la Catedral in Havana’s Old Town, where the whole venue was transformed into a tropical Chanel wonderland, full of the joys of the most coveted celebrities and A-listers such as Chanel ambassadresses Vanessa Paradis, Gisele Bündchen and Alice Dellal, Chanel ambassador Gaspard Ulliel, actresses Tilda Swinton, Marine Vacth, Alma Jodorowsky, Ana de Armas and Geraldine Chaplin, music producer Caroline de Maigret, model Langley Fox Hemingway and director Deniz Gamze Ergüven. Guests reveled in the beats of Septeto Habanero, Ibeyi, Rumberos de Cuba and the DJ Hugo Mendez, as they all celebrated Chanel’s wondrous presentation.

Scroll through the Photo Gallery to witness the amazing show!

Cindy Menassa