Karl Lagerfeld Takes Miami

In a scene straight out of Miami’s new art- and design-focused tourism campaign, fashion designer-cum-cultural arbiter Karl Lagerfeld will show the Chanel “cruise” (i.e., resort) collection tonight in South Beach — on a catwalk constructed over the Raleigh Hotel‘s iconic pool, which Lagerfeld described to Ocean Drive magazine as “a kind of symbol of Miami — the idea of Miami, what people think Miami is all about.” As for the Andre Balazs-owned hotel itself, the designer believes it has “the character of the old-fashioned idea of Miami, [which] is good for fashion.” Plus, as he told Style.com yesterday, “There was never a relation between [Coco] Chanel and Miami, so we make one.” OK, then! Past venues for Chanel cruise collection shows have included a Santa Monica airplane hangar and New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

Meanwhile, WWD covers the preparations for tonight’s show, noting:

Chanel took over the Raleigh for four days, shutting it down to the general public, with tight security protecting the property like a fortress. The show itself will feature a runway designed to mimic the curved lines of the hotel pool, and a celebrity list that is expected to include Diane Kruger, Zoe Kravitz, Anna Mouglalis, and Cat Power.

Lagerfeld, ensconced in the hotel’s penthouse even as we write this, remains close-lipped about the designs he’ll send down that undulating runway. “The colors are paler shades and very refreshing,” he told Ocean Drive. “There is shine, and I play games with volumes and proportions in asymmetric shapes.”

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