French luxury giant Chanel brought the drama to Rome December 1, with legendary Italian film studio Cinecittà serving as the backdrop for the unveiling of the Paris-Rome 2015/16 “Métiers d’art” pre-fall collection.

It was a star-studded affair all round, with designer Karl Lagerfeld using the opportunity to debut a movie of his own – the short film Once and Forever, starring Kristen Stewart and Geraldine Chaplin (covered previously in L’Officiel Singapore). The runway itself was a movie-theater-worthy black and white cinema reconstruction of the City of Light.

The clothes invoked both the nostalgic Paris of the silver screen and that of the modern-day fashion capital, walking the delicate line between romantic and suggestive.

Knitwear was given a dreamy makeover for the collection, with chunky sweaters in pastel hues livened up by intricate detailing that was overtly pretty. Lagerfeld captured the poetic charm of the French capital with whimsical pieces such as a puffball-sleeved cream dress adorned with a pink ribbon belt.

However, there was more than a hint of the vamp in the collection’s glamorous black leather mini dresses and peacoats, while the lace stockings, pencil skirts and cropped tops lent the affair a distinctly racy undertone.

There were plenty of the French house’s classic tweeds on show, with cape silhouettes and trouser suits adding a 1960s vibe that was exacerbated by the model’s coiffed beehives and kholed-out eyes. The signature fabric was used to created bulky overcoats and trenches that were layered over the gossamer-light lingerie-style dresses for a very French insouciance that perfectly encapsulated the Parisian nonchalance when it comes to style.