Lagerfeld's Chanel costumes star in a film at Cannes

Today marks the start of the Cannes Film Festival, the 76th edition of Europe's most famous film event. As usual, the Festival will be officially opened by a feature film, this year the period film directed by Maïwenn, Jeanne du Barry - The King's Favourite. The film features Johnny Depp as Louis XV, and the plot tells of the social rise of the protagonist Marie-Jeanne Bécu, the king's last favourite - played here by the director - famous for creating intrigue and scandal at Versailles shortly before the start of the Revolution. The opera promises to be a success, especially since the costumes chosen for the duchess come from the Chanel archive, as do the make-up and hairstyles. 

Jürgen Doering, the film's costume designer, will use all the savoir-faire he has been taught in the past while working for Karl Lagerfeld, Guy Laroche, and Yves Saint Laurent, to bring the best of the Chanel maison to the stage. Other films that Doering has worked on include Clouds of Sils Maria(2014) and Personal Shopper(2016), both of which feature Chanel costumes and starred the brand's ambassador, Kristen Stewart. As was evident during the last Met Gala, whose theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, the creative director of the haute couture house has always nurtured a strong passion for the 18th century. Many celebrities who have chosen archive looks designed by Lagerfeld for Chanel have sported outfits directly inspired by that era on the Met red carpet, as famously was Dua Lipa's princely ensemble, a look worn by Claudia Schiffer at the Chanel Haute Couture show in July 1992, and which will also feature in the film. 

According to reports, Doering selected ten Chanel costumes from the archives, and then let the fashion house's experienced atelier team recreate them to be worn by Maïwenn on set. However, modern details will be added to the clothes to give the production a contemporary look. «It's looking period with coloured glasses: one day with pink hues, another day with purple or almond green hues,» Doering explained. The costume designer was joined in this work by the brand's current creative director, Virginie Viard, whose artistic vision was very influential in the reinterpretation of the clothes. «I adapted to today's taste," added Doering, "I also wanted to respect Virginie's style. I mean, this is 2023.» In addition to the costumes, the maison also offered to lend some jewellery from its own collections, including a 855 diamonds necklace, and specially created straw hats woven using ancient techniques.