Chanel opts for real-life princess on horseback to open Paris show

French fashion house Chanel shook up conventions by sending a princess on a horse out onto the catwalk at its Haute Couture show in Paris on Tuesday, reported Reuters.

The animal was ridden by Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Caroline of Monaco, the granddaughter of Princess Grace Kelly, and the niece of Prince Albert of Monaco who is also a competitive showjumper and a Chanel brand ambassador.

Wearing a Chanel jacket made of black tweed and decorated with sequins, Casiraghi rode out at the start of the show, cantering several times around a catwalk designed to resemble a horse training ring.

The rest of the models - this time on foot - came out onto the catwalk afterwards.

The show, at the Grand Palais Ephemere, an exhibition and performance space in Paris, was conceived by Virginie Viard, who became Chanel's creative director in 2019 following the death of haute couture icon Karl Lagerfeld.

According to AP, Viard said the art backdrop was not just decor, but the collection’s creative starting block.

“These geometric shapes made me want contrasts, a great lightness and a lot of freshness: ethereal dresses that float as if suspended,” she said.

Chanel produced a relatively pared down aesthetic for spring with matching tweeds, minimalist touches, clean curved peplums and lots of white.

A split leg on heavy three-quarter length skirts was this season’s big theme, creating a silhouette with lots of swag as the models walked.

A pink tweed jacket with white stripes possessed beautiful loose proportions, which perfectly captured the spirit of pared down femininity. It was the best piece in the show.

Yet the 47-look collection at times seemed to fall victim to its own restraint, seeming to lack vibrancy.