With two contrasting black and white main colors, Chanel’s Cruise 2022 collection connects the designs of the 60s with the punk-rock style of the 90s and 2000s.
On May 5, French fashion brand Chanel held a show of the Cruise 2022 collection at the famous Carrières de Lumières cave in the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, France.
Les Baux-de-Provence, a picturesque hilltop village in the south of France, is known for its winding streets, picturesque setting with the famous Carrières de Lumières cave. The limestone quarries are a major tourist attraction, hosting regular light and sound shows dedicated to artists such as Van Gogh and Cézanne. For Chanel, this cave has special meaning because this place was once a favorite place of the great French writer Jean Cocteau (1889 – 1963), also the place where he set the scene for a beautiful haunting movie. “Le Treat d’Orpheé” (The Will of Orpheus) 1959. 
Jean Cocteau and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. Jean Cocteau is a close friend of founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. Cocteau considered Coco Chanel “the greatest tailor” of her time. The two spent a lot of time creating and sharing their passions in art at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris. Although they cannot meet often, the two keep in touch through handwritten letters. Chanel’s creative director, Virginie Viard shared: “During life, Coco Chanel was close to Jean Cocteau and I also loved Jean’s movie “The Will of Orpheus”. Especially the image of the man and the horse. Black went down to the Carrieres de Lumières cave, his silhouette striking against the white limestone walls. Inspired by letters exchanged between French poet Jean Cocteau and fashion house Coco Chanel during their close years, the collection connects ’60s design with the decade’s punk-rock style. 90, 2000. The show begins in Chanel’s Paris apartment, where models become moving portraits. The opulence and lavishness of the Parisian apartment, with its architectural and decorative details, is a stark contrast to the vast cavernous spaces of the Carrières de Lumières in Provence. 
The Cruise 2022 collection blends distinctive designs from different decades. Still designs tweed fabric, shoes, vest with white, black, and pink colors typical of the French fashion house. However, Virginie Viard has emphasized a bit more punk elements of the 60s-70s through the designs of mesh skirts, fringed leather skirts evoking wild features, combining the nobility of pearls and splendor of sequins. Models stand out with jet-black smoky eye makeup with messy hair and a series of lip piercings and mesh stockings. 
Supermodels strutted on the catwalk in the Cruise 2022 show. This is perhaps Viard’s most liberal collection since taking the helm of the French brand. The designer said she wanted to do something “quite rock”, reminiscent of the 60’s modernity in classic Chanel designs. Jean’s influence is also reflected through a series of animal motifs such as lions, pigeons, elephants, sphinxes, etc., hand-embroidered on the designs in this collection. These are the animals that have appeared in familiar items at Coco Chanel’s house at 31 Rue Cambon Street. 
Designs with dominant black – white tones stand out in the large space of the Carrieres de Lumières cave. Although Viard has been with the home for more than three decades, it’s been since taking over from the late artistic director Karl Lagerfeld in 2019 that Virginie Viard has truly admired them. “With Karl, I focused more on listening to him. Now, it feels like I’m exploring other sides of Chanel. When I read the letters that Cocteau wrote to Coco – I may have known about them before, but I only skimmed them. While now, those letters have touched my heart,” Viard shared. 
Viard sought inspiration for the outfits from the passion Chanel and Jean shared with each other during their lives. But Viard isn’t one to get bogged down in detail so ivory lace dresses, high-waisted white linen pants, dotted with hand-embroidered patterns like lucky charms, Provence wildflowers — lavender, grass musk, ranunculus,.. 
Cocteau’s influence on Chanel’s Creative Director is also evident in sleeveless tweed suits with white sailor collars combined with vivid blues, or in ruched white jumpsuits. recalls a costume Chanel designed for the play “Oedipus Rex” by the great writer. Chanel Cruise 2022 not only combines punk rock in a classic design but also shows the spirit of travel in the tourist fashion season. Loose caftan tops, easy-to-match two-piece dresses, and robes over bathing suits, appeared constantly on the catwalk. The collection is dotted with dresses made from woven chiffon strips with delicate watercolors. 
In addition, the company also promotes sustainable fashion trends when using 4 environmentally friendly tweed fabrics. These fabrics are made by Lesage, the renowned Italian yarn manufacturer that Chanel acquired last year, 28 of the 78 models in the collection contain more than 70% sustainable fibres. The show ended with beautiful images when the models together released white doves into the sky to the music and the voices of Sébastian Tellier, Paradis, Angèle, etc. under the sunset light, symbolizing information The message of peace and hope that Viard and Chanel convey in the Cruise 2022 collection. 
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fashion industry has fallen into crisis, must gradually make efforts to recover and promote the race on digital platforms. The catwalks, online fashion campaigns, at-home photography, … impress the fashion world. Like other high-fashion brands, Chanel has been steadily developing digital products that help viewers and customers have the most authentic experiences – and it has made no secret of its intention to film. re-format directly as soon as possible, as soon as the epidemic is brought under global control.
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