EACH time Karl Lagerfeld presents his Cruise collection for Chanel, he takes the word “travel” literally.

He has brought guests everywhere, from boat rides on the Seine in Paris to a show at the Grand Central Station in New York. He has gone from celebrating vintage Venice to recently, a sunset fashion show in star-studded Saint-Tropez.

Lagerfeld, the last few of the old guards of fashion, may have Chanel’s seasonal collection infused with drama (how does one top the giant iceberg and the huge lion statute?), but for the French house’s Cruise line, the show-stopping parade gives way to a more pragmatic, down-to-Earth version of elegance, the very word Chanel is synonymous with.

So, for the latest show in the south of France, a location famed for being the holiday spot for the rich and famous, Lagerfeld has shown his fashion prowess yet again with silk caftans and candy-striped cardigans, flared pants and sexy shorts.

At almost every turn, the mood is very 1970s, when the bright florals of the 1960s had toned down, but before the 1980s came with all that’s brash, bold and brazen. The long crocheted dresses and ruffled trouser suits are testament to this decade when Abba and Aerosmith ruled the music world and cinematic masterpieces such as The Godfather and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest were churned.

The clothes are simple and practical with shades of pink, baby blue and mustard dominating the catwalk.

Frankly, it’s too simple for Lagerfeld’s stature, but fashion too has its ups and downs. While this collection may be one that’s easy to sell globally, it’s not one that fashion will remember Lagerfeld by.

But perhaps his simplicity is intentional and it’s his tribute to a town he spent many years in. “I spent many years of my life here. I know Saint-Tropez like I know Paris. The collection is very casual, very down-to-Earth,” the designer tells style.com.

The beaded silk caftan should be a hit with the jet-setting beach babes for hiding their bikinis underneath. The long silk dresses would weigh next to nothing on the body as you stroll along the beach, and the one-piece gingham swimsuit is absolutely adorable, almost girlish in looks.

But what is Chanel without its quintessential jackets? There’s one in fuchsia worn with denim shorts, cropped and worn with bikini tops and flare pants, part of a black skirt suit and worn with a matching mini dress. That’s Lagerfeld for you. No matter how far the man travels, he keeps Chanel firmly footed, or should we say, suited?