The joining of Cara Delevingne and Pharrell Williams is quite a catch, maybe unexpected, scandalous for some and a marvel for Chanel fans, but a nice gimmick. They are seen singing and dancing in an époque teaser trailer video directed by Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of the fashion house Chanel. The short film is entitled Reincarnation and model Delevingne along with singer-songwriter Pharrell sing duet of CC the World, composed by the American rapper.
An ongoing project between the two has been announced for a quite a while, but precise details are given just now, with the release of the teaser trailer. The 38 seconds video unravels Delevingne as a ravishing beauty of a past époque in a breathtakingly white Russian ball gown, wearing beautifully embroidered white flowers in her rich, black hair. No, she is no Snow White, as her lips are not painted with a bloody red tint.
The two now-actors and singers impersonate the imperial couple of Franz Joseph I, the Emperor of Austria and the dearly beloved Empress Elisabeth ‘Sissi’ of Austria in a dream sequence imagined by Lagerfeld. The femininity of Cara Delevingne is highlighted by her very status as one of the most famous princesses in history and more precise, in the teaser video, when she hides her pale figure behind a white and flowery fan.
Reincarnation tells the story of the iconic Chanel jacket. The ‘’long video clip’’ rather that ‘’short film’’ depicts the year 1954, when Coco Chanel made an Austrian trip. There, she spotted the hotel elevator boy, event which is considered to be the inspirational source of the clothing item. The hotel aid is played by Pharrell, who afterwards becomes the Emperor of Austria in a dream flash created by director Lagerfeld. The iconic fashion designer is portrayed by Geraldine Chaplin (who also appeared as Chanel in Lagerfeld’s 2013 The Return).
Lagerfeld confessed that working with musician Pharrell for CC the World was quite a jolly task: ‘He was easy to work with, very pleasant. He’s very professional” and that in order to introduce him to the ambient of the project, he had to send the ‘‘happy’’ musician ‘’all kinds of Viennese music”. The title of the track is ambiguous as it can be interpreted in more than one manner: CC stands for both Coco Chanel and ‘’Princess’’ Sissi, so the linkage between the Austrian royalty and French fashion designer is emphasized. Lagerfeld also spoke about the short film in joyous terms: “It’s not meant to be a historical reconstruction or something heavy like that. This is light and funny” (…) “There’s a touch of Pop Art in it”.
The ‘’short-film’’ will be released in Salzburg on 1 December at Chanel’s Métiers d’art collection.