Remember when Greece’s Central Archaeological Council (KAS) gave a big 'Zeus no!' to Gucci’s request to host and film a fashion show at the archaeological site of the Acropolis? It seems fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld had asked a similar sort of question and was flat out denied too. To my amusement, they brought 'ancient Greece' to Paris instead:


The New York Times reported on the event, saying:

"Karl Lagerfeld may have hoped for blazing sunshine and Aegean blue skies in Paris. After all, he staged Chanel’s 2018 cruise show, inspired by the glories of ancient Greece, under the rounded glass ceiling of the Grand Palais. His models wore gold: gilded laurels swirled into sunglasses, Delphos-pleated dresses corded with sequins, even beach cover-ups licked with golden vines. King Midas has nothing on Kaiser Karl.

But alas, it was Paris in May. The sky was a sullen shade of Elgin-marble gray on Wednesday.
The weather was, perhaps, the only factor Chanel couldn’t control. Rather than going to Greece, the fashion house brought Greece to Paris. What could be a larger display of its might? Perhaps presenting the collection in Greece itself; Mr. Lagerfeld had originally wanted to show at a historic venue, but was vetoed by the country’s officials, company representatives said. Hence the decision to show in Paris. (Earlier this year, the Central Archaeological Council in Athens also publicly rebuffed Gucci in its bid to stage its cruise show on the Acropolis. Instead it will be held in Florence.)

No matter. Instead of showing amid the original ruins, Chanel spent a king’s ransom erecting its own. The set was based on the Parthenon as well as the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion. It took 50 craftspeople three weeks of construction, and nine days of assembly, to complete.

Ideologically, Mr. Lagerfeld asserted that his re-creation was conceptual: “Reality is of no interest to me,” he said. “I use what I like. My Greece is an idea.”"

All I can say is: with that attitude, I am very happy the Central Archaeological Council rejected the request out of hand.