Chanel 2018 Resort Collection

For his latest Chanel cruise collection, Karl Lagerfeld couldn’t find a venue in Greece that he liked  so he brought Greece to Paris instead. The designer conjured a replica of the Temple of Poseidon in the Galerie Courbe at the Grand Palais, where guests struck tourist poses against a movie-set backdrop of crumbling seaside ruins.

Banks of powerful lights created the illusion of Mediterranean sun, in contrast to the gray and drizzly sky that lurked behind the venue’s skylight, bathing a parade of modern-day goddesses strapped into colorful high-heeled gladiator sandals. After all, Lagerfeld said, it’s all about make-believe.

“It had nothing to do with a country. Reality is of no interest to me. I use what I like. My Greece is an idea,” the designer, who skipped postshow interviews this season, said in notes provided by Chanel.

Keira Knightley, Pedro Almodóvar, Isabelle Huppert and Charlotte Casiraghi were among the 800 guests spread over two shows, each followed by a Greek buffet in the Mini Palais restaurant, which spilled over onto a terrace framed by imposing classical columns these ones dating back to the 19th century.

The set had Knightley dreaming of a vacation. “That would be nice, but it’s not the case,” said the British actress, who declined to comment on rumors she would reprise her role as Elizabeth Swann in the next installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.

Next Monday, Knightley starts rehearsals for a biopic of French author Colette, directed by Wash Westmoreland. “It covers her first marriage with Willy, who was the guy who took credit for her first four novels. It’s about that relationship and the demise of that relationship,” she explained.

To follow, she said, perhaps a holiday will finally be in order since she has been working nonstop since September. “Hopefully, it’ll look a little bit like today’s show,” said Knightley, who appears in ads for Chanel fragrances and fine jewelry.