When about 800 VIP guests from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan attended the Chanel autumn/winter 2004/05 collection fashion show and party in Taipei last week, they were treated to a Milan-style event with a dark, mysterious theme. Instead of the traditional red carpet, the event's organisers rolled out a grey one that led guests 130 metres to the Chanel boutique air dome, a structure that took five days to build, where crickets chirped under a blue moon in the shape of the French fashion house's logo. The highlight of the night was the introduction of famous actors as models on a catwalk that had the look of a road, complete with asphalt and lane markings. Hong Kong actor/director Stephen Fung Tak-lun and Taiwanese actor Zhang Chen caused a stir in the latest Chanel styles. After the fashion show, food and drink were served inside a makeshift pavement cafe and the models posed on motorcycle props in their Chanel. Among the guests were the actor Alex To Tak-wai, actress Tien Hsing, the acting siblings Hsu Xi-di and Hsu Xi-yun and Chanel Asia-Pacific president Vincent Shaw. Also present were the Taiwanese actresses An Ja, Chen Xau-suen, Lin Jie-li and Yi Nang-Jin.
