Monte Carlo in Monaco on the French Riviera is more than just a location for Chanel’s Cruise 2023 collection. It is filled to the brim with nostalgia, glamour inspiration, royalty and memories for creative director Virginie Viard.
Monte Carlo itself was a big inspiration for Viard this season.
“To me, Monaco is a matter of feelings above all. That’s Karl, Caroline, Charlotte,” says Virginie Viard referring to the late Chanel creative director, his muse Princess Caroline of Monaco and her daughter Charlotte Casiraghi who is now a house ambassador respectively.
“From very early on, I knew we would hold a show there, and more precisely at the Beach Hotel. Besides, Karl was dreaming about it. From this magnificent venue, one can glimpse his villa, La Vigie. I will never forget the times I spent there: terraces and balconies, big umbrellas, baskets of flowers – so much beauty.”
Chanel channelled the glitz and glamour of Monaco in the Cruise 2023 collection – and that includes a nod to the iconic Casino de Monte-Carlo in the form of this novelty bag designed as a miniature slot machine.
The result? A collection of summer-ready classics pulled into the current. There’s a joyful, cheeky spirit in the air amid sporty silhouettes of short shorts and sequin jumpsuits. Ahead, some of our notes from the runway.
