Chanel did our city proud

AFTER months of meticulous planning, at 5 pm yesterday, Chanel finally opened up its highly-anticipated Metiers d'Art show to guests.

- RACHEL PUGH

The chosen location for the show was Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter - a spot usually more suited to laidback hipster types, spilling out onto the pavements drinking craft beer, dressed in washed-out vintage jeans and oversized jumpers.

But last night, the Northern Quarter was transformed. Flooded with 600 VIP guests from across the globe - including trendsetters, key names in fashion, and A-list celebrities, Manchester's Northern Quarter became something of a hybrid of an upmarket spot in New York or Paris, backdropped by the gritty bohemian walls splashed in graffiti Mancs all know and love.

Earlier this week, Chanel explained its reasoning behind choosing the city of Manchester over the perhaps more obvious choice of London, and other key fashion hubs such as Birmingham and Liverpool. The brand said: "CHANEL has chosen to present the 2023/24 Metiers d'art show in Manchester, one of the most effervescent cities of pop culture and  an avant-garde one, whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music." So while the Northern Quarter may have not at first appeared the most obvious choice for the show's setting, on reflection, I'm not sure if the brand could have chosen anywhere more fitting.

One of the city's most ebullient areas, the Northern Quarter is a place where art is at the very soul.