CANNES, France — Guests at the Chopard “Miracle” gala were welcomed into a big top by clowns, jugglers and mimes, as the house staged one of the most extravagant nights of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
This year’s theme, “Miracles,” unfolded under a literal circus tent, where Chopard copresident Caroline Scheufele presented 79 couture looks alongside 79 high jewelry creations, marking the festival’s 79th edition.
Inside, the mood was less traditional gala than a series of scenes. Models emerged in jewel-toned gowns layered with oversized gemstones.
Related Articles
Performers from the Circus Knie came in from Switzerland, and popped up at unexpected moments — at the halftime of the fashion show, for example — and then again during dinner.
You May Also Like
Dita Von Teese and Sophie Ellis-Bextor followed with performances to up the ante on the fun.
Von Teese has been a longtime fixture at Chopard events.
“I just plucked a little bit of what I do in Vegas,” she told WWD. “I don’t have my circus wagon and my eight cats, but two cats. I’m a tiger tamer, and in Vegas, I have a whole big circus set.” She clarified they were “hot people” dressed as cats, not actual tigers.
The performer, dressed in a crystal-embroidered gown by Jenny Packham, noted she has been appearing at Chopard events for nearly two decades.
“Every few years she’s still calling me, so that’s fantastic,” she added of Scheufele.
The guest list blended actors with longtime friends of the house and VICs flown in for the occasion.
Demi Moore arrived in a look from Nina Ricci styled by Brad Goreski, who said the original necklace from the runway look had been swapped for high jewelry.
“We removed their piece and put on a real diamond choker of Chopard,” he said.
Goreski described Cannes dressing as a collaborative creative exercise shaped as much by jewelry as fashion itself.
“It’s been an incredible creative exploration of what one can do with fashion for two weeks when you have access to really fun, beautiful clothes,” he said. “She makes clothes come alive.”
Among the guests was Kim Jones, who kept details of his next chapter vague following his departure from Dior Men.
“I’m not telling anyone what I’m doing at the moment,” he said. “There’s a lot coming out next year.”
Instead, he was on holiday in the South of France and came to support his longtime friend Scheufele.
For Chopard, however, the gala was also about reinforcing its decades-long relationship with Cannes and the mythology it has built around the festival.
Supermodel Eva Herzigova recalled attending one of Scheufele’s earliest Cannes event before Chopard became synonymous with the festival itself.
“When she first opened the Chopard store here, I think it was 1998, it was me and Carla [Bruni] and we did the opening,” she said. “Only later did Chopard become the main sponsor of the film festival.”
Herzigova also pointed to Scheufele’s growing couture ambitions, describing the fit and craftsmanship of the garments shown during the fashion show.
“I think she has amazing taste,” she said. “When you wear it, it fits so well, and I think that’s already half the dress.”
Chopard copresident Karl-Friedrich Scheufele took the stage to praise the artisans, performers and ateliers behind the production, framing the evening as a celebration not just of jewelry but collective craftsmanship.
“I think what we have seen here tonight very much fits the definition of miracles,” he said. “Something unexpected and extraordinary.”
He also praised his sister, who revealed that the first piece of jewelry she ever designed was a clown, sketched at age 16 and later turned into a jewel by her father, which took the house in a new direction.
“She always thinks her brother is a bit critical, but not that critical, but I really think she’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m really surprised also at how Caroline manages to design these dresses while she’s doing many other things at once.”