Chanel’s Cuban Takeover

It appears that this year’s annual Met Gala in New York slightly overshadowed couture fashion brand Chanel’s latest Caribbean escapades in Cuba!

The Met Gala may have detracted some press coverage and some of the usual suspects in terms of models and attendees, but Chanel’s latest Cuban cruise was definitely still something to write home about. Set in the fiery and charismatic Cuban capital, Havana, Karl Lagerfeld kicked off the Chanel 2016/17 cruise in true Cuban style.

Lagerfeld, who had never set foot in Cuba before the show, designed and planned everything before Chanel had even received permission from the Cuban government for the event to go ahead! The government reportedly only gave its permission to the fashion icon in March 2016.

Nevertheless, Chanel put on a fabulous and, as always, stylish fashion show from start to finish. The bright colours and tropical patterned garments clearly portrayed the Caribbean influences of this year’s event. And, of course, there were the less-than-subtle hints towards the show’s Cuba-inspired roots, such as models smoking cigars or wearing shirts that said “Viva Coco Libre!”, and even a few berets.

Despite many of the usual attendees and models at the show being busy with the Met Gala, such as Bella and Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, Chanel flew in 700 guests to witness the exquisite cruise show. It seems that this is not the first time, however, that the show’s guestlist has not been up to its usual celebrity standards due to a scheduling clash, as last year’s travelling show in Seoul, South Korea, also conflicted with the annual Met Gala. Despite the unfortunate timing, a number of celebrity guests – including Vin Diesel, who was in Cuba shooting another Fast and Furious movie, Fidel Castro’s grandson Tony, and Gisele Bundchen – did manage to make the event, alongside a number of Cuban celebrity guests. Crowds also lined the streets to try and catch a glimpse of the world-famous brand’s show but were separated from the runway by the vintage cars which were transporting guests to the runway.

Perhaps they should check their calendars next time…