After transporting us to the French Riviera with actress Lily-Rose Depp for the light and airy Cruise collection, Chanel has returned to escapism, this time, giving us a more revitalized, yet sophisticated look at their classic silhouettes set against the nouveau riche lifestyle of Monaco for the Spring/Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear Collection.
The star of the campaign is Charlotte Casiraghi, granddaughter of actress and style icon Grace Kelly, who defined the ’50s style with her classically understated fashion sense. Casiraghi also happens to be 11th in line to the throne of Monaco, making her the first Chanel ambassador to also hold a royal title, making this short film shot in her home country feel all the more special.
Created by house favorites Inez & Vinoodh, this film for the collection allows Casiraghi to shine through a sea of pearls, being a diamond herself. She creates the perfect blend of intellectual sensitivity and unique beauty, which she recently modeled in an interview with the house, where she took the interviewer through her library. In the video, she is asked to tell of books that impacted her, and she cited Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs Du Mal, which she described as “introducing me to a real world of transformation, where I realized that suffering, that which is moody, that suffering in us, can be transformed into beauty.”
On the project, Inez & Vindooh told Chanel, “Charlotte Casiraghi has a mysterious quality, a push-pull duality that emphasizes our play on the merging of reality and dream.”
This is exemplified in the day-to-night settings of the video, which includes backdrops of balconies overlooking the night-time city sky, luxurious streets where more than a handful of famous faces have surely passed, and tranquilly luxurious gardens. Some of the best looks of this collection — which went down the runway in October 2020 — are a red and white striped t-shirt dress with a peplum skirt; a black daisy-print dress, which was worn by Margot Robbie at the 2021 Golden Globes; and a red Chanel knit-sweater paired with a black tweed skirt and white signature bag.
Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2021 RTW collection is available in boutiques now.