A true vacation is less about geographical exploration than about finding your dreamlike alter ego. It means being in a sun-dappled place where oversized glasses, white shorts and endless aperitifs are the order of the day. Some places are more likely to make that feel. For me, Lake Como brings an otherworldly vibe. The azure waters, flanked by vertiginous green hills and dotted with palaces, open up a metamorphosis for me.
It was this feeling that inspired director Sofia Coppola to create a short film for the Chanel Resort collection show, which took place this week on the terrace of Villa d’Este in Como. For her, the short film, starring Danish model Ida Heiner, “is about the self you feel when you escape from the world” – an experience where time stands still.
As we gathered on the terrace of the 16th-century villa for the evening show, the fading light flickered over the lake, and a breeze blew through the wisteria and guests’ carefully coiffed curls. We sat down as Margaret Qualley (in a bun and sunglasses) strode by with a small poodle.
The first clothes on the grey gravel runway were 1960s-inspired, set to a soundtrack carefully chosen by music director Michel Gaubert. Lightweight tweed pedal trousers and tunics, shift dresses and silk head scarves evoked the spirit of Romy Schneider.
The tone then shifted to 1970s-style crochet and flowing rose-hued lamé fabrics, paired with capes and ruffled collars. One look, a striped suit made of terry cloth, accessorized with a light straw hat and a pink camellia, felt like a nod to the lake, the villa and the time when the likes of Rita Hayworth, Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas vacationed there to avoid the paparazzi.
It also reflected the house’s deep roots in cinema. In 1962, Gabrielle Chanel dressed the young Romy Schneider for her friend, the film director Luchino Visconti, on the set of Le Travail. Visconti’s family estate included the nearby neo-Renaissance palace Villa Erba.
The show culminated in a disco-inspired glamour: a short black taffeta sheath dress with an elegant cape, a white taffeta evening gown and a gorgeous ball gown took us to a new romantic dance floor.
After the after-show party, I sneaked out to visit the summer residence designed by architect Pellegrino Pellegrini for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio of Como—the house and grounds later belonged to Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of the future King George IV.
The gardens are a magnificent display of symmetry. The intricate mosaics of the landscape reminded me of the rich textures on the runway—as if the metallic tweeds and beaded jackets were inspired by Pellegrini.
The layers of history on the lakeside are a treasure trove of Chanel ateliers. Villa d’Este, a place of escapism, grand artistic exploration and fantasy. Inside, white-coated waiters filled filigree glasses, and the past was alive in cinematic moments and memories of the town of Como.