Revisit Karl Lagerfeld’s Most Over-the-Top Chanel Runway Shows of All Time

For the spring 2005 show, Chanel got sporty with a gymnasium-like set, complete with a giant double-C logo emblazoned on the floor.

Welcome to Chanel’s Hall of Mirrors, here at the fall 2006 runway show.

A classic courtyard setting in black and white was the background for Chanel’s spring 2005 haute couture show.

A towering spiral staircase to nowhere was the focal point of Lagerfeld’s 2006 couture collection.

What better way to show off couture clothes than a special showcase for each model? Here, in July 2006.

Chanel, meet Printemps. The two shopping meccas met at the spring 2007 runway show.

Lagerfeld was feeling sporty for spring 2008, crafting an Olympic-like stage.

Chanel was off to the races—horses not included—for the house’s fall 2007 couture collection.

What’s better than a carousel for adults? A carousel full of larger-than-life Chanel bags, of course, as seen at the fall 2008 show.

Models emerged from a makeshift Chanel store to debut the spring 2009 collection.

Giant bottles of Chanel No. 5 decorated the runway for the fall 2009 show.

Is it cold in here? The Grand Palais got an arctic chill for fall 2011, with giant glaciers overtaking the runway.

The fall 2011 haute couture show was a wild one, thanks to a giant bronzed lion statue.

A charming fairytale-esque field made up the spring 2010 set.

Streetlights lit up the dark runway of the Chanel haute couture fall 2011 show.

Chanel got apocalyptic for fall 2011, complete with smoke and debris.

Florence Welch was The Birth of Venus incarnate at Chanel’s underwater-themed spring 2012 show.

Who says models don’t eat? Chanel’s 2011 Paris-Bombay show featured a full, decadent buffet.

Lagerfeld prepared to blow away his audience at Chanel’s spring 2013 show, filling the Grand Palais with giant wind mills.

Jagged, geometric stalagmites covered the space of the fall 2012 show.

Prepare for takeoff. Guests at the house’s spring 2012 haute couture show got first-class treatment as they boarded Chanel Airways.

Models traipsed through an enchanted forest for the spring 2013 haute couture show.

It is Karl Lagerfeld’s world, and we’re all just living in it. Here, the fall 2013 set.

A worn-down theater was an unexpected backdrop to the perfectly polished fall 2013 collection.

Lagerfeld made fashion an art form for spring 2014, transforming the Grand Palais into a gallery, filled with his own paintings.

The models took it to the man-made street for spring 2015, showing off the art of the peaceful protest.

Paper flowers made for a whimsical backdrop to Chanel’s spring 2015 couture collection.

Lagerfeld served up his fall 2015 collection with a side of coffee at this makeshift brasserie.

Attention all shoppers: Cara Delevinge led models through an aisle of food at the grocery store–set fall 2014 show.

Lagerfeld hit the airport once again, this time turning his spring 2016 show into a chic waiting area.

Celebrities including Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, and Lily-Rose Depp gambled as models took to the casino floor for the 2015 couture show.

Welcome to the dollhouse. Here, for haute couture spring 2016.

Fall 2017 took flight with the launch of Chanel’s rocket ship as Lagerfeld took his final bow.

The set at the Chanel cruise show in May 2017 transported its crowd all the way from Paris to ancient Greece.

Chanel’s spring 2018 show brought the Gorges du Verdon river canyon from the south of France to the north.

For fall 2018, Lagerfeld took the “fall” thing very seriously, filling the space with crunchy leaves and sparse trees.

With the help of some actual waves washing ashore, barefoot models, and a lifeguard, spring 2019 saw Lagerfeld transform the Grand Palais into a full-on beach.

Lagerfeld has only himself to blame for looking relatively tame by simply installing a Mediterranean garden inside the Grand Palais for Chanel’s spring 2019 couture show—a feat that would put any other designer to shame.

Cara Delevingne led the pack of (tearful) models, including Penélope Cruz, who did their final lap for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel’s fall 2019 show, which took place just two weeks after the late designer’s death. Lagerfeld reportedly knew he was dying when he was working on the collection with Virginie Viard, who’s since been appointed his successor as creative director, but he still stuck to pulling out all the stops: This time, he and Viard transported models and showgoers to an alpine village in Switzerland, complete with snowy fir trees, mountains, and log cabins with chimneys that were actually puffing smoke.