Chanel Lion with Pearl

Chanel Lion with Pearl

A monumental lion, teeth bared and one front paw resting proprietorially on a giant pearl, held centre stage, its golden coat caught in the setting sun under the glass dome of the Grand Palais.

Karl Lagerfeld is a past master at dreaming up attention-grabbing scenarios for his Chanel shows, and Tuesday night's was no exception.

It looked like an allusion to Jean Cocteau's Surreal masterpiece "Beauty and the Beast" when the traditional bride at the end was accompanied by a groom wearing a lion's head over his wedding suit. However Lagerfeld told AFP it had been inspired by a small bronze lion found in Coco Chanel's apartment.

But the symbolism of Coco's fetish pearls was clear enough. It was a witty touch to have the models disgorged onto the runway from the pearl which opened like an oyster.

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