Chanel Pre-Fall 2013

Karl Lagerfeld presented Chanel’s annual Métier d’Arts (or pre-fall) collection at a drafty old castle in Scotland last night. And by drafty and old, we mean extremely so: Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542, is now partially roofless, and there were snow flurries during the show. (To keep people from getting blue-lipped and shivery — not chic — Chanel constructed a temporary wooden canopy over the audience and put lap blankets at every seat.) Meanwhile, there were crackling fires in what looked like large metal trash cans, and tunic-wearing waiters served whiskey and smoked salmon.
The collection itself featured a lot of woolly scarves, tartan, plaid, and medieval-looking puffy sleeves. Lagerfeld’s godson, 4-year-old Hudson Kroenig, made a smashing runway appearance in adorable plaid pants, a matching kilt, and patent leather shoes with jeweled buckles (oh, and his father, Brad, looked cute, too). Models wore elaborate hair ornaments crafted from feathers and what resembled a head of garlic, and Lagerfeld took his bow with his perennial favorite Stella Tennant. Click through the slideshow for highlights.

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