Courtesy Chanel

Chanel is hitting the road! After the luxury French fashion house debuted the Cruise 2022/2023 collection along the beaches of Monte Carlo in May, it switched gears and headed to the United States on Nov. 4 for a special second show of the assortment in Miami.

The iconography of Monte Carlo served as influence for pieces in the line, but some of the qualities that make the European city so beloved mirror those of Miami. The collection features direct nods to Monaco’s racing culture with clothing covered in starter flag prints. There are also pit crew coveralls (helmets doubled as accessories when models carried them down the runway in Monte Carlo.) The concept works just as well in Miami since the city hosted its first Formula 1 race earlier this year, making it a hot new destination on the Grand Prix circuit.

Courtesy Chanel

Other pastimes enjoyed in Monte Carlo, like tennis, boating and sea swimming (also Miami favorites), are represented through pieces including novelty tennis rackets that ranged in size from micro-mini to XXL. Sporty sneakers are styled with everything from tennis skirts to Chanel’s classic tweed sets in outfits that will look just at home in Miami as they do along the Riviera.

The sporty atmosphere is only one element of the 67-piece line. “There are lots of tweed or silk jumpsuits lined with light terry cloth,” says Chanel’s creative director, Virginie Viard. “[There are] many sequins and flower-shaped embroidered plastrons adorning thinly striped long shirtdresses with white high collars — a nod to Karl [Lagerfeld]— a sequined midnight blue dress, or backless tops worn over wide-cut trousers.”

Courtesy Chanel

Chanel’s late creative director Karl Lagerfeld’s love of Monte Carlo was a big source of inspiration for Viard and the latest Cruise collection. “Monaco is inherent to the history of Chanel. We have lived so many happy moments there,” she notes, explaining Lagerfeld’s villa, La Vigie, was visible from the runway show staged at Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel in the spring. “I will never forget the times I spent there: terraces and balconies, big umbrellas, baskets of flowers — so much beauty.”

The last time the fashion house made it to Miami for a show was in 2008, when Lagerfeld presented Cruise ‘08/’09 on a runway constructed over the pool at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach. Still, Chanel has permanent roots in The Magic City. The brand opened a two-story boutique in the heart of the Design District in December 2021 that was created by architect and frequent Chanel collaborator Peter Marino.

While inspiration for the latest Cruise collection may have been rooted in Monte Carlo, the range of sporty and chic styles encapsulated in the new Cruise collection is sure to take the checkered flag in Miami.