French fashion house Chanel took about six months to turn an unoccupied former army barrack into a runway for the world debut of its latest cruise collection here last night.
About 800 guests gathered at Loewen Cluster, a heritage site in Dempsey Hill, for the annual fashion fiesta that is staged in a different city each year.
Singapore is the first Asian city picked to host Chanel's cruise showcase - a cruise collection is a range of clothes launched between the two key spring/summer and fall/winter fashion seasons.
On choosing Singapore for the debut of the collection, a spokesman for the fashion house said: "Singapore has established its credentials as a regional fashion and retail hub. With its unique diversity, it is the ideal place to present the cruise show."
He added: "For now, this is where the market for luxury brands is."
Chanel's creative director Karl Lagerfeld said he loves being in Singapore.
"I haven't been back in 25 years and everyone told me that this place has changed so much. I wanted to see it for myself and the best way is to have a show here."
In the past few years, high fashion labels such as Hermes and Prada have opened flagship stores here, drawn by Singapore's melting pot of cultures and strong tourism numbers.
Singapore has two of the biggest Chanel flagship stores in South-east Asia - one in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, opened in 2010, and the other in Takashimaya Shopping Centre, which was renovated last year.
At last night's fashion extravaganza, about 40 models, including top names such as Cara Delevingne and Stella Tennant, showed off about 80 outfits.
American actress Dakota Fanning, Taiwanese actress Gwei Lun-mei and former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld were among the front-row guests, as was former American Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley.
Home-grown celebrities Zoe Tay, Fann Wong and Kit Chan also attended the event. They headed to another former army barrack with other celebrities and press members from around the world for an after-party.
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