Coco Chanel visited Venice for the first time in 1919, after the sudden death of her lover Arthur Edward “Boy” Capel.
The designer was charmed by the city and mesmerised by its symbol, the lion, that she considered as a reference to her own zodiac sign.
Born on 19th August 1883, Gabrielle was indeed a Leo and also used to collect lion figurines in the most disparate materials, from wood to silver, bronze and alabaster.
Ninety years after that first visit, Lagerfeld brought back Chanel to Venice to present the fashion house’s 2009/10 cruise collection.
Decades have gone since Coco’s first visit and since 1926, the year in which French magazine Foemina organised a catwalk show featuring French designers dedicated to the Lido’s hoi aristoi, sparking a rivalry with Italian tailoring houses, but Lagerfeld took exactly those years as the starting point for this collection, wisely mixing them with precise cinematic references.
The prevalent white and navy blue and white and red stripy designs echoed the colours of the skirt suits Lagerfeld designed for the two films that will contribute to turn 2009 into Chanel’s cinematic year - Anne Fontaine’s Coco avant Chanel and Jean Kounen’s Chanel & Stravinsky - but the general atmosphere was entirely lifted from Luchino Visconti’s 1971 film Morte a Venezia (Death in Venice).
Many scenes from this film were shot on the beach in front of the Hotel Des Bains, on Venice’s Lido, on that same strip of sand where Coco Chanel would test the popularity of her beach pyjamas. The Hotel Des Bains was originally going to be the chosen spot for this event, but the Lungomare Marconi that separates it from its beach would have caused a few strategic problems, this is why the final choice for the show fell on the nearby Excelsior Hotel.
Art director, decorator and architect Matteo Corvino, transformed the beach adding a few minimal yet chic details, installing a runway and offering the invited guests comfortable deck chairs.
Male models dressed in sailor outfits called to mind young actor Björn Andresen as Tadzio in Visconti’s film, while the first ripple-brim hats and long and elegant dresses in black and cream seemed in the eyes of cinema experts references to Piero Tosi’s costumes worn in the film by icons of style Silvana Mangano and Marisa Berenson.
Many details showed that Lagerfeld studied in depth various references to Venice: stripy knitwear, swimwear, bags and open-toe wedge boots called to mind Chanel’s designs, from her costumes for Jean Cocteau’s Le Train Bleu to her bi-coloured suits, but also paid homage to the traditional shirts worn by Venetian gondolieri; sunglasses were transformed into hand-held Venetian masks and further references to Carnival and Casanova was made by a group of models in three-cornered hats and black capes; 
see-through black, red or grey lace dresses or cream tiered lace tops echoed the refined lacework made on the nearby Burano island and even the motifs, colours and shapes of the artwork showcased at the local Peggy Guggenheim Collection, entered the collection in leggings and matching tops that featured geometric red, white and blue prints.
Colours evoking Venice’s opulence and Coco Chanel’s passion for Byzantine art – gold and red – appeared in dresses and classic bouclé suits, while the most extravagant lame evening gowns and hairstyles decorated with precious jewels were obvious references to the exotic costumes worn by the Marchesa Casati at her parties at Ca’ Venier dei Leoni.
Prints of lions with a paw resting on the interlacing Cs of Chanel appeared on fluid chiffon dresses while there was also a beautiful homage to painter, photographer, designer and lighting engineer Mariano Fortuny in some prints and in the ethereal bareback pleated long evening gown that seemed to reproduce Fortuny’s timeless Delphos tunic.
Little black dresses were transformed into elegant long dresses and, rather than looking out of place, cycling shorts with lace edging seemed to be a reference purposely made to the Giro d’Italia cycling race that passed through the Lido just a few days ago.
While summing up in his designs a few Venetian stereotypes, Lagerfeld also made some clever references to local art, traditions, lifestyle and cinema in Chanel’s new cruise collection. The designer even shed his hard carapace and swapped his signature black jacket for a royal blue one, immersing himself into the Lido’s chicly relaxed atmosphere.
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