World's most elegant catwalk for Chanel cruisewear

(CBS/AP) Karl Lagerfeld rolled out a baroque-tinged cruise collection Monday at the seat of French opulence at Versailles Palace, with film stars and other celebrities, such as actress Tilda Swinton and singer Vanessa Paradis in attendance.

Pictures: Chanel Cruise Collection at Versailles

"The palace is the perfect place for Chanel, you couldn't imagine anything better," said Paradis, who watched as models filed by with ruffled eighteenth century tulle sleeves.

Eclectic gold platform sneakers were among the touches that broke up the historic feel, making this one of the funkiest Chanel shows in some time.

Model of the moment Cara Delavigne opened the show in a velvety, pale blue denim dress, with a crisp A-line skirt. But the rest of show felt more like Chanel's answer to a Baroque history lesson.

Beauty spots, bottom-heavy skirts, and floral chokers infused spectators with a feeling of Marie Antoinette's heyday. Baroque-tinged wigs and ruffled, courtly hair bows in silk, meanwhile, added a splash of androgyny.

Added to the mix were silver chokers with roses, a look that recalled 18th-century trendsetter Madame de Pompadour, as captured by painter Jean-Honore Fragonard.

Another look twinned a black, fitted sequined zipper jacket, with a raw-edged, silk bustle skirt which hung like petals in soft pastels of pale pink, blue and yellow.

One ornately knitted cotton top in white had a jacquard swag with decorative catkins hanging on either side -- a strong nod to the Rococo period.

Was the opulence a bit too much in a country that just elected a Socialist president, who has vowed to tax the uber-rich more?

"Oh no, lightness is what France is known for. I don't delve into politics here," said German-born Lagerfeld, after the show. "Besides, I can't vote."