It’s true that Karl Lagerfeld never does things by halves. His collections, his runway shows, his increasingly rare interviews, even his campaign shoots.

His latest for Chanel’s Fall-Winter 2018 eyewear collection is then, unsurprisingly, the perfect example of his cinematic eye and grasp of exactly who that quintessential, free-spirited ‘Chanel accessories’ girl is. The models may change season to season, but his fictional muse’s essence is constant.

This time around, she’s a spontaneous road-tripper – a fabulously elegant, Parisian-styled one, of course – cruising down an open road in a convertible car, red lipstick and chic Chanel shades firmly on. The audacious heroine? For now, it’s Dutch supermodel (and real-life dirt biking fanatic) Luna Bijl.

 

The status of sunglasses as essential in any outfit and a personal go-to for Lagerfeld is well-documented. After this is the man who’s far from oblivious to their camouflage benefits either.

“Sunglasses are like eyeshadow,” Lagerfeld once said. “They make everything look younger and pretty.”

Four key styles of sunglass and optical frames feature in the campaign video and still image campaign, ranging from shield sunglasses engraved with the iconic quilting and small rectangular frames with the ubiquitous CHANEL signature, to XL square eyeglasses in transparent acetate and oversize sunglasses mounted with gold lenses.

As always, Lagerfeld – long-time an avid and deftly-skilled photographer – shot the latter. His reputation for being creative ‘one-stop-shop’ lives on, just as our dream of escaping on a road trip in fabulous shades has just been born.

The Chanel FW18 eyewear collection is in stores now. See the campaign and collection in more detail below.

THE CAMPAIGN


THE COLLECTION