The Chanel Spring 2016 Haute Couture collection was shown in an eco-conscious setting with lush green lawns of a minimalist garden, water lily ponds, a slatted wood pavilion, and plenty of space and calm to contemplate it all under simulated blue skies.

“Fashion is part of the events of our times,” declared Karl Lagerfeld about the Zen-like collection in the Grand Palais.

The collection featured wood chips used as beading, paillettes, and 3-D frills among techniques involving recycled paper and organic woven yarn. The wedding loo was all “made from wild cotton,” said Lagerfeld, “This is high-fashion ecology. It must not look like some sloppy demonstration!”

Playing with proportion and volume, the Chanel woman wears her signature tweed with long skirts and rounded shoulders. Evening wear gets embellished with rhinestones, feathers, flower appliqués and even wood. “The starting point for this collection was the silhouette,” Karl Lagerfeld reveals in the show notes.

But it was the evening that soared from the moment Lagerfeld started to introduce flecks of gold into the suiting. An incredible jacket and skirt made completely of gold and black geometric paillettes, a narrow streak of wonderment worn by Jamie Bochert, passed by, succeeded by airy lamé capes, a haze of gold and sparkle, floating from the shoulders of white pantsuits.

Casting for the show included stars Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and her sister, Bella. With models wearing their hair in “coiled chignons” and dramatic black eye makeup, the Chanel woman brought some drama to her tranquil looks.