Chanel Picked Balthazar, Not a Ballroom, to Open Fashion Week

Chanel skipped the usual runway-adjacent ballroom and instead took over Balthazar, the SoHo brasserie, on the very first night of New York Fashion Week. The occasion was the house's newest fragrance, Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu, and the guest list leaned heavily toward Hollywood's younger set. It was a fitting choice of venue: a bistro known for red-checked banquettes and marble floors, not a step-and-repeat, set the tone for a week that runs on both spectacle and staying power. For one night, the scent launch made a case for New York's oldest rooms as fashion's newest stage.

With reporting from The Zoe Report.