Dear reader,
We're excited to share details from Chanel's recent Cruise 2025 collection reveal. On Tuesday afternoon, the highly anticipated resort-ready collection was presented in a dreamy setting at Villa d'Este on Lake Como.
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The location - Lake Como, Italy
ABOUT VILLA D'ESTE - LAKE COMO, ITALY
The show, which was held at Villa d’Este, the Lake Como palace hotel where Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich holidayed and which Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed The Pleasure Garden there, pronounced the most beautiful place on earth.
This location, booked a year in advance, provided the theme: life in a grand hotel. Think White Lotus on Lake Como, art directed by Slim Aarons. First on to the pebbled catwalk weaving through the hotel’s terrace was a white bathrobe-style coat. Then there were capri pants in the butter yellow of the hotel parasols, and a lilac tweed suit to match the wisteria trailing overhead. Models swung tote bags big enough for pool towels, while gold lamé cover-ups glinted as dazzling as sun on the lake.
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Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/AFP/Getty Images
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THE COLLECTION
The collection served as a refined tribute to Italy, hosted at the iconic hotel renowned for its Italian elegance. The designs beautifully combined tailoring, colors, patterns, lightness, and elements reminiscent of a leisurely holiday. This choice of location highlights Chanel's long-standing connection with Lake Como, dating back to Gabrielle Chanel's friendship with the celebrated film director Luchino Visconti, a frequent visitor to this picturesque region. This personal and cultural link is evident in the collection's aesthetic, which weaves together cinematic influences—beginning with the Sofia Coppola-directed short film created for the collection—into a cohesive visual story.
Created by Chanel's in-house creative team, prior to Matthieu Blazy's appointment, the Cruise 2025 collection embodies a sense of casual elegance. The 69 looks featured pastel-toned taffeta dresses in shades of peach, pink, and light blue, alongside sheer dresses, light tweed suits embellished with sequins, striped lamé ensembles, and fluid evening jumpsuits. The color palette drew inspiration from the Villa d'Este and its lakeside gardens, incorporating ochre, warm yellows, natural greens, and classic black.
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Photos Courtesy of CHANEL
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Essential cruise wear staples were also present, including straight-cut white trousers, strawberry-colored overcoats, and tops with navy stripes and nautical accents. Accessories such as silk scarves, long diva gloves, black sunglasses, and pool bags added a vintage touch with a contemporary twist. Notably, a mini cupcake handbag emerged as a standout accessory.
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Photos Courtesy of CHANEL
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This collection offers only a sneak peak at what's to come while the house prepares to enter a new and exciting era thanks to Blazy's debut collection for Chanel this October.
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Chanel has doubled revenue and headcount in the past decade to become the world’s second-largest luxury brand behind Louis Vuitton, with 36,500 employees at the end of 2023. It is more than 10 times the size of Bottega Veneta, from where Blazy arrives.
Fashion PR Firm
Story by: Brit Olivia, Fashion Journalist & Editor
