King Karl put on a Parisian spectacle for Chanel in the heart of Rome last night.

If there’s one thing Karl Lagerfeld isn’t afraid of it’s hard work. Not content with just the standard fashion calendar collections (for the three brands he designs for) he’s always pushing to innovate and create. Case in point: the Chanel Paris in Rome 2015/16 collection inspired by “French actresses and Italian cinema”. Taking place last night, it was a multimedia production featuring film, clothes and music with Lagerfeld the showman at his very best

First, guests attended a screening of Once and Forever – Karl’s latest movie starring Geraldine Chaplain and ex-Wonderland cover star Kristen Stewart – before being taken to Federico Fellini’s favourite studio in the city, where the designer had created a super-cinematic Parisian set of grand scale (well, it’s still Chanel after all). As for the clothes? They were part classic Chanel – the iconic suit came trimmed with braid and there were skirts in tweed – and part after dark glamour courtesy of sheath dresses in pleated velvet and nightgowns in crepe georgette. Things only got bigger after the presentation, when the shops and cafes of the set came alive with music and enough extras to rival a Hollywood production. With designers and their excessive workloads a hot-topic at the moment, one can’t help but wonder quite how Lagerfeld does it.