Chanel Resort 2013

The celebrated designer Karl Lagerfeld rolled out a baroque-tinged cruise collection on Monday at the seat of French opulence, Versailles Palace, with film stars and other celebrities such as actress Tilda Swinton and singer Vanessa Paradis in appearance.

"The palace is the perfect place for Chanel, you couldn't imagine anything better," said Paradis, who watched as models filed by with ruffled eighteenth century tulle sleeves.

Model of the moment Cara Delavigne opened the show in a velvety, pale blue denim dress, with a crisp A-line skirt. But the rest of show felt more like Chanel's answer to a Baroque history lesson. Beauty spots, bottom-heavy skirts, and floral chokers infused spectators with a feeling of Marie Antoinette's heyday.The rococo embellishments on many of the garments Karl Lagerfeld sent down the runway made it impossible to imagine him showing the collection anywhere else. Floral embroidery accented modernized versions of what French nobles wore to the court of Louis XVI, and many of the looks were paired with pastel-colored flatforms. Another look twinned a black, fitted sequined zipper jacket, with a raw-edged, silk bustle skirt which hung like petals in soft pastels of pale pink, blue and yellow.

"Oh no, lightness is what France is known for. I don't delve into politics here," said German-born Lagerfeld, after the show. "Besides, I can't vote."

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A film by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, starring Daria Strokus, Melissa Stasiuk and Xiao Wen Ju in La Galeries Des Glaces - Château de Versailles.
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