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KARL LAGERFELD, the indefatigable 84-year-old fashion superhero, must dream up six blockbuster shows for Chanel every year. For this, his 2019 Resort collection, he wanted to take us on-board a real-life cruise ship – most likely somewhere exotic – but they were all booked up for years, apparently. So instead, he brought a cruise ship to Paris. Or rather, had one built inside the Grand Palais.

The giant 148-metre-long vessel took four weeks to make and 15 days to install. We sat in mock moonlight, admiring its enormous hull, which floated on a fake rippling sea. We looked up at its towering, smoking chimneys decked with fairy lights and bunting. We heard the ship creak, the waves splash and seagulls cry. There was Kristen Stewart in her black sequin tux and Lily-rose Depp in plunging iridescent white tweed. And where the hell was Margot Robbie? The audience was so vast – 962 seats, to be precise – we never 

managed to clap eyes on her. Then 80 models disembarked, paraded portside down the dock – all 150 metres of it – and Instagram lit up with 49.5k #chanelcruise posts. Lagerfeld wanted to transport us back to the era of the grand cruise. Anchoring the ship and clothes to the history of the house and its founder, Gabrielle Chanel – the first fashion designer to go big on cruisewear in Deauville, back in 1919. The gigantic cruiser bore the name La Pausa, after the large villa in Roquebrune- CapMartin that Coco designed and built in the early 1930s at a cost of six million francs – astronomical at the time, but probably a mere snip compared to the budget of this latest Chanel extravaganza. And what of the fashion? All the usual Chanel tropes you’d imagine – tweed jackets, quilted leather, striped cashmere, dazzling prints, pearls and camellias – with a strong nautical flavour ( high-waisted sailor pants a running theme) but infused with sugary pinks and candy stripes alongside your more typical red, white and blue. They also zoned in on the 1980s, the decade Lagerfeld started designing for the house. Pedal-pushers were worn under swingy tunics, skintight jeans came laddered down the front, sequins flashed and there was the occasional metallic red and blue bomber jacket, cropped to the waist (more on-stage Elton John than on-board vacation attire). Or perhaps just the thing Chanel’s wealthy cruise-going client would wear? Naturally, the accessories riffed on sailing, with life-saver rubber-ring bags and rope-handled totes, low-heeled Mary Janes and sailor berets. After the finale, Captain Karl appeared waving from the gangplank alongside Virginie Viard, his second-incommand and longtime studio head. Lagerfeld has been taking his bows with

Earlier this year, Gigi Hadid pledged that she would ‘continue to support’ Zayn Malik – who has been open about his personal struggles – even after they revealed that their two-year relationship had come to an end. ‘As for the future, whatever’s meant to be will be,’ she said in a statement. It seemed that Gigi was either hinting they had unfinished business, or that this was no easy relationship to walk away from.

And last week, as the couple confirmed that they are indeed back together, after being pictured kissing passionately near Gigi’s New York apartment, insiders tell Grazia that the 23-year-old model is still feeling ‘incredibly torn’ about her decision to reignite a romance with the singer.

‘Gigi is coming back into this relationship with her eyes open,’ an insider explains. ‘Of course, it comes down to the fact that they never stopped loving each other, but they still have a lot to figure out in terms of why it all went wrong. On Gigi’s part, she has felt incredibly worried about Zayn since they split and had been regularly checking up on him.’

Following their split, as well going on a tattoo frenzy and dramatically changing his look, Zayn, 25, sparked concern when a report claimed he had allegedly been dumped by his US management team, First Access, for being ‘hot headed’. And insiders say Gigi is determined to help Zayn through his issues.

‘Gigi still feels responsible for Zayn and wants to be there for him. Some of her friends have questioned whether getting back together is the wisest decision for them right now, and she understands their concern. Gigi acknowledges that she takes on a lot of responsibility when it comes to her relationship with Zayn, but it’s only because she wants the best for him,’ said the source. ‘She instinctively wants to protect him and get him feeling stronger again. But equally, life with Zayn can be quite unpredictable and she has been enjoying her independence lately.’