Second time’s the charm for Chanel, which reprised its Cruise 2026 fashion show in Singapore this week.
The French fashion brand selected the historic Raffles Hotel Singapore as the backdrop of its runway show—fittingly so, considering that the first staging of the Chanel Cruise 2026 show was held, in May, at the five-star Villa d’Este hotel by Lake Como. Like the Italian villa, Raffles Hotel Singapore boasts an illustrious history and exudes an old-world opulence, reflected in the polished marble tiles and imposing Victorian columns. The 138-year-old hotel has also seen its fair share of glamorous guests, including Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner.
Chanel added a few more names to that list for what has shaped up to be the fashion event of the year in Singapore. Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton flew in for the brand’s presentation, marking her first-ever visit to Singapore. The event was also graced by British music star Raye; GRAZIA Singapore cover stars Becky Armstrong and Baipor Thitiya; Chinese supermodel Liu Wen; Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano; and Thai celebrities Gemini Norawit and Aokbab Chutimon.
Aokbab was among the diverse cast of models, both local and international, that walked for the Chanel fashion show. The runway ran through Raffles Hotel Singapore’s lavish lobby and all along its colonial-style corridors, which faced a verdant lawn. Chanel knew better than to seat its show attendees on that lawn, out in the open air. The maison even provided each guest with a paper fan so that they could keep their composure in the face of Singapore’s tropical humidity.
Chanel offered plenty of solutions for dressing for the island’s balmy, sunny weather, too. As the Chanel Cruise 2026 fashion show kicked off with the sound of a lion’s roar, models came down the runway in breezy ensembles including a lace sundress lined with sequins, a floral crochet dress with a matching cardigan, and ruffled taffeta dresses.
The collection is inspired by the fantasy of a luxurious hotel life, which explains the bathrobe-style coat in tweed, the statement pink bodysuit, and the ensemble of a bikini top, an open cardigan and a colourful striped crochet skirt, all ideal for lounging by a hotel pool.
To match the vacation mood, Chanel’s signature tweed sets were freed up with relaxed silhouettes and shorter hems. The collection was also brightened up with a colour palette of pastels and optical white. For her runway appearance, Aokbab donned a white peplum tweed jacket and mini skirt, both covered in sequins.
Glamour came in many forms throughout the collection, mostly drawn from disco (the show had a soundtrack to match, too). The Chanel woman could attend glitzy parties at her hotel wearing the lustrous lamé jumpsuit and matching cape, or hit the dancefloor in the backless, halterneck top and flared jeans featuring knee-high slits. More formal occasions would call for an elegant ensemble, like the gleaming gold lurex suit worn by Swinton.
Being in such close proximity to celebrity, glamour and luxury, it was hard not to get swept up in Chanel’s cinematic spectacle. The whole experience shimmered even more because it marked only the second time that the maison has staged a fashion show in Singapore. Chanel previously presented its Cruise 2014 show at the Loewen Cluster in Dempsey, with then-creative director Karl Lagerfeld himself making an appearance. Notably, the fashion designer stayed at the Raffles Hotel Singapore during his visit, and made use of the hotel’s lawn for a screening of his short film, Once Upon A Time….
“It feels very special to be at a Chanel show back home,” said Singaporean musician Shye. “This [past] year, I’ve been travelling a lot for Chanel; I went to [the brand’s show in] Hong Kong and then to Paris. It’s been crazy witnessing the shows in other countries, but [a Chanel show in Singapore is] even more special [for me], and I think for the Chanel team here in Singapore, it’s monumental.”
Monumental, indeed. Ahead, discover the looks from the Chanel Cruise 2026 show in Singapore.
This article first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
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