Chanel Exhibit Hits Milan

Guests dodged raindrops and hustled inside the historic Rotonda della Besana in Milan, where black-and-white portraits of celebrities wearing Chanel lined the walls. It was the latest two-week stop for the French firm’s “The Little Black Jacket” exhibition, which had already set up shop in cities from Tokyo to Berlin and will move onward to Dubai later this month.

Vanessa Paradis, Carole Bouquet, Elizabeth Olsen, Ennio Capasa, Neil Barrett, Anna Zegna, Nino Cerruti, Osanna Visconti, Federico Marchetti, Marco Zanini, Teresa Maccapani Missoni, Remo Ruffini and Marta Ferri were among the guests checking out the 113 pictures designer Karl Lagerfeld snapped in collaboration with stylist Carine Roitfeld.

“Considering it’s such a cold Milan evening, I’ve never seen so many people turn up to an exhibition outside fashion week,” Cerruti marveled. Paradis was among those photographed for the exhibition and book. She said for her, Chanel was about “dreams, and class.”

Noting she has a close professional relationship with Lagerfeld, Paradis said whenever the two collaborated: “I know in advance that I’m going to enjoy myself… I admire him and like him very much, we get along well. He’s unique. It’s very precious to be able to spend time with him.”

Lagerfeld, sporting his trademark sunglasses, arrived just shy of 11 p.m. with Italian Vogue editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani, setting off a flurry of flashbulbs and the usual mob scene. – wwd