TWEED FEED: Manchester’s wet winter weather didn’t stop Chanel ambassadors, friends and guests from around the world from attending the 2024 Métiers d’Art show, which unfurled on a cobbled street in the center of town.
Chanel pitched a glass tent over the street, set up café tables, and served cocktails to VIP customers, celebrities and brand ambassadors, including Kristen Stewart, Caroline de Maigret, Charlotte Casiraghi, Sofia Coppola, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Grant, Jenna Coleman and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Chanel creative director Virginie Viard went big on tweed, channelling the brand’s signature fabric into sweet ‘60s silhouettes, which she paired with flat mary janes, jewelry and charms with music motifs, a nod to the English city’s heritage.
“This is the birthplace of Oasis, lan Curtis and The Smiths. This is my bread and butter in terms of what turns me on,” Stewart said.
“This is potentially my favorite Chanel show that l’ve seen in person. I think all the looks are incredibly intimidating — in a really sexy way. There’s a stringent, perfect tailoring to them that’s quintessentially British,” said Stewart, who was wearing an exaggerated A-line coat dress partially unbuttoned down the front.
Looking ahead, Stewart said she has two films coming out, and they both start with the same word. One is called “Love Lies Bleeding” and the other is “Love Me.” Stewart said there won’t be a major fashion moment like in “Spencer,” where a Chanel bag had a starring role.
“They are both so bizarre, but so different, and I think the line through them is desire. I think there is a visceral kind of raging desire that comes out in both of them, but in a very different way,” the actress said.
Chinese actress Zhou Xun, who’s been a Chanel ambassador for more than a decade, said this was her first trip to Manchester, and she was making the most of her time in the city.
“I visited the record stores on the first day, and I could feel my body charged with energy after the visit. Last night, I also went to see Manchester United versus Chelsea. It was my first football match and I was equally impressed with the energy there,” she said.
The actress added that she liked what she saw on the runway, “especially the red tweed suit, the shell-like black hat, and a black ensemble adorned with green jewelry. The show was filled with energy, and the immersion in the street scene was super-cool as well,” she said.
The Manchester-based rapper Bugsy Malone said Chanel’s visit to his hometown has been “a very big deal.”
Following the show, Malone was FaceTiming with family to share his front row experience. “Chanel has a very particular style, and I am a big fan. I reckon the brand will be more popular than ever here. I think Chanel should open one or two more stores here,” he said.
