Handsome, genteel men in suits passed cranberry drinks with sprigs of rosemary, elegant flutes of French Champange, and delicate, caviar-inflected hors d’oeuvre last night at the Park Avenue Armory, where some of New York’s finest celebrities arrived to celebrate Chanel’s lederhosen-heavy pre-fall 2015 collection. The crowd slowly found their way to their seats, each in color-coded rooms with corresponding floral arrangements — lavender, burgundy, baby blue, gold. An entire mansion had been constructed in a warehouse in New Jersey, then transported and reconstructed inside the cavernous armory space. While megamodels like Kendall Jenner and Stella Tennant strode out in fanciful, feathered couture, attendees were momentarily transported to Habsburg Germany, the inspiration for the collection. After the wild show, doors in the burgundy room opened, revealing a full bar, dance floor, and stage. Bedecked in tweeds and pearls, clients of Chanel mingled with young scenesters, models, fashion editors, and seasoned fashion-industry veterans. Pretzels in the shapes of the double-C logo were consumed and Instagrammed with equal gusto.
Click through our slideshow for a glimpse at the guest list, from Beyoncé to Patti Smith to Pharrell, who debuted a new hat and performed a song with Cara Delevingne.