Karl Lagerfeld and Stella Tennant
After much anticipation, Chanel’s Metier d’Arts show took place in Linlithgow Palace in Scotland yesterday. The Mary Queen of the Scots inspired fashion show brought out a slew of high-profile editors, celebrities and of course Chanel’s famed creative director Karl Lagerfeld. While we’ve witnessed many unique and lavish sets for fashion shows in seasons past, this was by far the most awesome location we’ve ever seen. Below, we’ve broken down everything you need to know.
1303: Linlithgow Palace was originally erected in 1303, but it wasn’t until the 15th and 16th centuries that it served as the main residence for the monarchs of Scotland. After the monarchs jumped ship and headed to England in 1603, the palace became a tourist attraction for history buffs.
1 Permanent Resident: Although no one resides in the palace anymore, it’s said that it’s haunted by Mary of Guise, the mother of Mary Queen of Scots. Thus, it’s only appropriate that Lagerfeld opted for a Mary Queen of Scots theme. Perhaps her presence wasn’t as far away as he imagined!
14,000: The town of Linlithgow, where the show took place has a population of just 14,000.
$3 million: The alleged cost for the whole show was a whopping $3 million. Talk about sparing no expenses!
1925: This was the year when Coco Chanel first began to date Hugh Grosvenor, the 2nd Duke of Westminster. The British monarch took her on worldwide adventures, and she explored the Scottish Highlands with him, where she fell in love with certain fabrics, like Fair Isle knitwear and tweed, which is a staple in Chanel’s collections to this day.
4-Years-Old: Hudson Kroenig, son of Lagerfeld’s close friend and a frequent Chanel model Brad Groenig, is just 4-years-old and walked in the show (his third Chanel show!). Adorable doesn’t even begin to describe him, and while we never thought we’d be jealous of someone this young, his personal Chanel collection makes us weak in the knees.
32 Degrees Fahrenheit: The show, held outside, had guests waiting to enter as they stood in a light snow and 32 degree fahrenheit weather. While we can’t imagine some of the world’s top fashion editors putting up with this, it’s truly a testament to the power Karl Lagerfeld has. Dont worry, they also had Chanel blankets, burning fires and hot whiskey and ginger beverages to keep them warm.
$1,000: While Chanel’s products are way too exclusive to be sold online and it’s hard to track down any blankets currently available for sale, you can snag a rare one for around $1,000 on eBay. There were allegedly around 400 people in attendance. Our guess is that the blanket budget was more than what is allotted for most New York fashion shows.
$7 Million: Brad Pitt allegedly snagged $7 million for his Chanel commercial, and many assumed that he and Angelina Jolie would be making an appearance, however they were no-shows. Guests included Bryan Ferry’s son Otis, Poppy Delevingne, Stella Tennant (who walked in the show), and Derek Blasberg.
6 Bagpipers: There were 6 bagpipers serenading the crowd with traditional Scottish tunes.
$15.6 Million: $15.6 million is the price Chanel paid for the Barrie Knitwear cashmere mill in Scotland a few months ago.