Manly’s Shelly Beach will host fashion giant Chanel ahead of their first Australian runway show next month, bringing the high-end fashion set closer to brush turkeys than ever before.
The French fashion house will be in Sydney showing their Resort 2027 collection, the debut cruise collection from artistic director Matthieu Blazy, which was first shown in Biarritz, France, on 28 April. But Manly Observer has been reliably informed Shelly Beach is not hosting the major runway event, but rather a private event for Chanel’s guests on 4 November. The major runway event will be elsewhere in Sydney – location undisclosed – the next day on 5 November.
Sydney joins a list of cities that have hosted Chanel’s touring cruise shows, including Singapore, Dubai, Miami, Shenzhen and Seoul.
It is also the first time any luxury house has staged a runway show of this kind in Australia.
The Shelly Beach event has been granted a Crown land licence by the Minister for Lands and Property, Steve Kamper, for a defined area of the beach on 4 November between 6pm and 10pm.
But its guests were nearly left high and dry when a request to Northern Beaches Council to allow alcohol in what is otherwise an Alcohol Prohibited Area came up for debate last night, Tuesday 20 October.
Council staff had originally rejected the request to hold the event, councillors heard last night, a decision effectively overruled by the Minister. But Council still had the final say on lifting the alcohol ban – and that decision fell to councillors last night.
Councillors ultimately voted to suspend the Alcohol Prohibited Area under Section 632A of the Local Government Act 1993, but not without some bitterness from Council’s greener quarters, who argued it demonstrated one rule for the rich and another for everyone else.
A late memo to councillors also revealed the event’s footprint has grown. Council was notified on Friday 16 October that the approved area had been expanded, and the licence now covers all access points to Shelly Beach. Council staff advised public access to the beach will be restricted at times during the licence period, with traffic management, security, signage and community notifications to be put in place.
Greens councillor Bonnie Harvey said allowing alcohol would leave “a bit of a bad taste in your mouth”.
“Knowing that you’ll never be able to legally drink champagne at Shelly Beach, unless you are invited by Coco Chanel,” she said.
“I especially find it quite worrying that we don’t know the specifics of if they’ll be drinking out of plastic or glass containers when we remove this alcohol prohibited area for the evening.
“I acknowledge that we can’t revoke this access, but I do put forward that the least that we can do is ensure that while they’re enjoying their very important event, they’re not also going to be sipping champagne and giggling away.”
The least that we can do is ensure that while they’re enjoying their very important event, they’re not also going to be sipping champagne and giggling away.
Independent councillor Vincent De Luca said he shared concerns about the precedent.
“I certainly understand the submission made by councillors that the perception of this is that we don’t allow alcohol to our community on certain occasions, but if you go straight and circumvent local procedures and local laws, and you’ve got the money to do so, you get it,” he said.
But the majority voted to allow guests to drink on the beach, calling the Chanel an exciting opportunity to showcase our area.
“I think this event in Shelly Beach is an extraordinary event for the Northern Beaches,” Cr Rowie Dillon, who noted Mona Vale was also considered for the gathering, said.
“Being the fashionista that I am, it’s the first time Chanel have ever had a runway launch in Australia, ever, with the resort collection.”
Cr Sarah Grattan agreed.
“What a prestigious, amazing opportunity for the Northern Beaches, and if you think of our economic development tourism destination plan showcasing Shelly Beach, part of Manly… we’re going to have the VIPs flying in for this particular event,” she said.
“We’ll have all sorts of famous people around Manly, superstar sort of people, bringing economic activity into our area in a four-hour period. How fabulous!
“I really look forward to having this event, and I support this motion to give them a four-hour period so they can serve some drinks to their guests.”
Chanel’s roster of Australian ambassadors includes Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi but there is no confirmation that any celebrities will be on the event guest list at Shelly.
Chanel announced the Sydney show earlier this year, with international and fashion media reporting the event is expected to draw international press, clients and industry figures.
The collection was originally unveiled in Biarritz, the seaside town where Gabrielle Chanel opened her first couture house outside Paris in 1915. Its beach theme, with nautical stripes, seashell earrings, raffia skirts and straw baskets, made a coastal Sydney setting a natural fit, according to the house.
Chanel said in a previous statement that “The choice of Sydney for the House’s first runway show in Australia resonates with the spirit of the Cruise collection, which is resolutely focused on movement and an elsewhere.”
