ONCE again the name of fashion's great liberator was being invoked, this time in a setting she would have instantly recognised. ''For inspiration I went back to Chanel and all the wonderful romance of the 1920s and 30s,'' said Barbara Battaglini, with an approving glance at the Veranda Restaurant.
Had Coco materialised, nobody would have blinked. Exactly the sort of figure you would expect to see these days in Hong Kong's grande dame of hotels.
Nostalgia freaks will purr with delight. From the lobby, glittering under its original chandeliers, to the Veranda, with its cane chairs, potted palms and silently whirring fans, the just-refurbished Peninsula Hotel is a time-warp fantasy come true.
Just as it was in Chanel's day - complete with a 600-strong staff perfectly in keeping with the era, when men wore carnations in their buttonholes and women learned that swooning could be fun when not trussed up in corsets.
Battaglini (with a silent ''g'') is the creator of the Peninsula's new staff uniforms and don't be fooled for a moment by this matronly Australian, who could give Dame Edna a run for her money when it comes to those endearments so beloved Down Under.
Everyone, from blushing bellboys to senior staff, may be ''sweetheart'' or ''pet'' to Barb, but this lady knows her business. She proved it in 1989 when she did the honours for the Grand Hyatt. And she has triumphed again at the Peninsula.
No commission has meant more to the Queenslander, who is fast becoming one of the world's leading designers of hotel garb.