The heavens opened up for the Chanel Metiers d’Art presentation in Manchester, but the label showed nary a piece of rainwear

Rain loves luxury fashion, especially a fashion show. The downpour during the Chanel Metiers d’Art presentation in Manchester two evenings ago bore that out, as did the Dior cruise 2024 show in Mexico City last May. Sure, no one can control the weather or predict it, but the rain in the northern English city was not unexpected, at least to the locals. In anticipation of the winter shower, if not deluge, Chanel built a see-through shelter over the runway that occupied Thomas Street in the hipster Northern Quarter. With the cover above, this stretch could pass off as a typical shopping street in Japan, such as Shinsaibashi in Osaka. According to the Daily Mail, those living above the runway “had been asked by the French fashion house to dim their lights not to walk on their balconies while models strutted down the runway”. Local press reported that businesses were told to close for the day (or the day before) were reimbursed and those affected by the nearly one month of preparation had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Rain was not the only unwelcome visitor. According to Reuters, there were anti-war-in-the-Middle-East demonstrators outside the show venue, and, probably to the horrors of the Chanel team, the “pro-Palestinian protesters chanted”. But the music for the runway apparently drown out the protest noise. Chanel worked with long-time music collaborator and “fashion’s leading sound director” Michel Gaubert for the soundtrack that was a mix of some of the defining sounds of Brit-pop for listeners (or show people) of a certain vintage: Soft Cell’s immensely danceable What? (a cover of Melinda Marx’s 1965 song. Interestingly, the original Tainted Love by Gloria Jones followed, not Marc Almond and David Ball’s synthpop version), The Fall’s New Big Prinz, and for the finale, a goosebump-raising Electronic’s Getting Away With It. Surprisingly, New Order’s Bizzare Love Triangle (the Sheep Pettibone mix [!]that was vital to the playlist of—for those old enough—a certain Mambo Jambo night), originally lined up, did not make the cut on YouTube, although local media reported that it was that track that accompanied the models on their last strut.

Chanel did not livestream the show; they released the video footage after the event (but runway images were shared prior to that). It was accompanied by a Sofia Coppola-directed short that featured a rapidly-moving montage of photographs by the British photographer Jamie Hawkesworth. It is not clear why the filmlet was necessary to preface the show or placed on repeat to entertain. It was a tad too Louis Vuitton Men under the late Virgil Abloh. Although New Order’s music was not used for the runway presentation, the band’s seminal Blue Monday was selected for the film. Consolation to us: Bernard Sumner, founding member of New Order and considered an earlier influence on the productive Manchester music scene of the ’80s is also part of Electronic that provided the finale drive.

And the clothes? Did we forget? But, what can we say that we have not said before? Virginie Viard has her own ideas of feminity that fringes on the frumpy, and is known by now for her flair for keeping things real, which invariably means sensible and classic. In fact, she does not walk away from the old-timey, as if even a foot away might somehow damage her credibility. Tweed was the sung hero of the night, all fashioned into vague ’60s silhouettes that for most customers who can afford the clothes would be hard to pull off if they are not young. As it was a Métiers d’Art show, the usual boast of Lesage embroidery, Le Marie feathers or the gold fastenings and jewellery of the parurier Goossens was unmistakable. Despite the combined excellence, it is hard to say that the designs soared, or reached any level that could leave one indelibly impressed. Even Mancunian model Karen Elson, given two outfits, could not pull off the dowdy—even if brightly hued—duds.

The one good thing about the whole show was the involvement of legendary art director and graphic designer Peter Saville (with Paul Hetherington)—also linked to the Manchester scene, especially Factory Records, with whom he designed many of their album covers of the ’80s and ’90s, including some unforgettable ones for New Order. The Chanel show invitations were, in fact, designed as a record sleeve, with cryptic coloured dots (that seemed to form a stylised canine) over the black text, Chanel MCR. It housed a four-track vinyl featuring the music of the show. One senior journalist told us that the invitation would likely fetch a high price in the resale market in the future. In fact, he thought that the music selection at Chanel was one of the most evocative in recent years. “It really brought back memories of the better years of fashion,” he said to SOTD, “when designers weren’t afraid to step into places where angels fear to tread.” Or, as Soft Cell sang in What?, “When I once lived in paradise/When the love light shone in your eyes”.

Screen shot (top): Chanel/YouTube. Photos: Chanel