Exclusive: Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show through the eyes of Margaret Qualley, Fala Chen, Ally and others
On April 29, 2025, the legendary Villa d’Este at Lake Como went beyond being the de facto holiday destination, shooting location and film set in Italy. Setting the scene for the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show, the picturesque location became a celebration of the storied relationship between the French fashion house and the seventh art.The show reminds us of Gabrielle Chanel’s friendship with Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti. In the 1960s, their creative partnership flourished when Visconti entrusted Chanel to design costumes for actress Romy Schneider in his film Il lavoro (1962). Three decades prior, the duo found themselves in Lake Como to spend time at his family’s estate.
Driven by the Creation Studio, Chanel’s latest collection was infused with the refined Italian glamour of its surroundings. Models graced the waterfront runway in flowing silk gowns adorned with nautical motifs whilst structured jackets paired with wide-legged trousers echo the height of Chanel and Visconti’s creative collaboration in 1960s. Lightweight tweed suits in soft pastels notably mirrored the sunset palette of the lakeside. Accessories, such as dramatic sun hats, pearl-embellished sandals and vintage luggage-shaped handbags, were another nod to a carefree European summer.
Chanel invited ambassadors and friends of the house to bask in the occasion. Along the house’s newly appointed ambassadors, Bollywood star Ananya Panday and Thai singer and actress Ally, Japanese model Nana Komatsu as well as actressesFala Chen from Hong Kong and Ning Chang from Taiwan, found themselves on the romantic shores of Lake Como. Ahead of the show, the like-minds got together to shoot intimate family style portraits with photographer Greg Williams.
WithTatler, the star-studded attendees reminisce on the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show and its dreamy Lake Como location.
In case you missed it: Sofia Coppola celebrates the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show with a film set in Lake Como
Nana Komatsu and Ning Chang (Photo: Chanel/Greg Williams)
Margaret Qualley
Margaret Qualley attends the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show (Photo: Getty Images)
Margaret Qualley, actress in The Substance (2024) and house ambassador who opened the Chanel spring-summer 2024 haute couture show, found herself mesmerised by the vastness of Lake Como itself.
“What makes this place so timelessly hypnotising is the water and when I open my big wooden windowpanes in the morning to look out at the deep blue lake. A moment like this takes my breath away and reminds me how utterly lucky I am to be able to experience the beauty of nature and fine art,” Qualley said.
Achiraya “Ally” Nitibhon
Ally attends the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show (Photo: Getty Images)
Thai actress and singer Achiraya Nitibhon, more colloquially known as Ally, was named a Chanel brand ambassador in April 2025. For her, the Cruise 2025/26 show location went beyond a showcase of the house’s strive for “timeless elegance, storytelling and the highest level of craftsmanship”. Rather, it is also an opportunity to enjoy new experiences and make new memories with like-minds.
“This is my second Chanel show and every time I have the pleasure of joining, it always feels like a reunion of family and friends. I get to connect with new people from across the world, receive warm welcomes from the Chanel team and I always get inspired by the breath-taking scenes and creations by Chanel. Lake Como has been one of my dream destinations, so I feel like I’m seeing a painting come to life and diving into the beauty of the destination and the Cruise collection,” Nitibhon said.
Ning Chang
Ning Chang attends the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show (Photo: Getty Images)
For Taiwanese film producer and actress Ning Chang—who has been a Chanel house ambassador since 2021—the beauty of Lake Como lies in the impact that the setting has had on cinematic history.
“Movies are a medium that capture moments and so is Lake Como. To me, it feels like a massive roll of film that is constantly unspooling. Over the years, countless famous figures have come here, so many stories have unfolded and the scenery remains uniquely breathtaking. It’s no wonder it has become such a perfect film set," Chang said. "I feel really lucky to be part of this story, where every moment is like a timeless link between the past and the future.”
Fala Chen
Fala Chen attends the Chanel Cruise 2025/25 show (Photo: Getty Images)
Shortly after her highly anticipated appearance at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards, actress and friend of the house Fala Chen sat at the front row of the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show. Along with the collection itself, Chen also found herself hypnotised by an unique attribute of Lake Como: how light interacts with the vast body of water.
“It’s the luminosity of this place and the openness of the lake that seem to invite even more light into every corner. Obviously, a filmmaker is hypersensitive to light and the nuance it brings to the image and the mood. One tends to see the subject differently when the backdrop is different and Lake Como is a temperamental one that constantly changes. So, while the movement is exactly the same, it all depends on nature, in a way,” Chen said.
Nana Komatsu
Nana Komatsu attends the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show (Photo: Getty Images)
Japanese actress and model Nana Komatsu, who recently starred in the Chanel spring-summer 2025 eyewear campaign, found herself transported into a dreamy universe while exploring the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show’s Villa d’Este location.“When I arrived at Villa d’Este, I was immediately inspired by everything I saw: the soft colours of the flowers in the garden, the shimmering blue of the lake and the pastel tones of the room that made me feel at home. Standing on the balcony, looking at the lake and hearing the birds sing, it felt like being caught between a dream and reality,” Komatsu said. “Walking through the grand gardens and along the lakeside, I truly felt the spirit of la dolce vita.”
Ananya Panday
Ananya Panday attends the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show (Photo: Getty Images)
Ananya Panday, while a mainstay in the Bollywood world, is relatively new to the Chanel universe. Similar to Nitibhon, the Indian actress was named a house ambassador shortly before the Chanel Cruise 2025/26 show. For Panday, she finds each Chanel show fascinating for its ability to reveal a new side to the house’s late founder Gabrielle Chanel.
“Every Chanel show is tied to the life of Gabrielle Chanel in some way and we almost get to go back to the state of mind she may have been in then. As a great supporter of the arts, Gabrielle Chanel was friends with iconic artists who shaped culture and the Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti was one of them. I think it’s amazing to come back to the same space where all of this transpired. As a young actress, I wouldn’t mind a lesson in elegance from Gabrielle Chanel myself,” Panday said.
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