Just when you thought the palace of Versailles couldn’t get any more magical, along comes Karl Lagerfeld and his band of baroque mermaids and mermen to transform the grounds into the perfect backdrop for Chanel‘s 12/13 Cruise collection.

As the likes of Tilda Swinton, Vanessa Paradis and Haidee Ackerman looked on, models sashayed between the picaresque fountains looking like fashionable extras in a modern-day Marie Antoinette biopic. Chanel‘s trademark jackets were given a baroque edge with rich jewelled embellishments and decadent flourishes, showcased alongside diaphanous baby doll dresses, gowns worthy of a Disney princess, skimpy swimwear and oversized sun hats perfect for keeping you safe from the Cannes sun. And to satisfy the elegant gardener in all of us, Lagerfeld offered up some fetching golden quilted gardening gloves and an unmistakebly Chanel watering can (*hunky gardener sold separately).

A muted palette of mint, violet and blush kept the looks as summery and sweet as the sunny day around them, and carried on through the models’ blunt pastel bobs and dramatic rosey eye makeup. Expect to see more of those velvet CC face stickers adorning temples across the globe soon too, when they’re released as part of the upcoming Collection Versailles de Chanel makeup collection.

Images via Russh and Vogue Australia