French fashion house Chanel unveiled its Pre-Fall 2013 collection at their annual Métiers d’Art show (which celebrates the craft of the Chanel ateliers) on 4 December 2013 in the ruins of Linlithgow Palace in Scotland. The venue (built in the 15th century, and the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots) influenced the collection with a distinctive Scottish theme as evident in the abundance of tweed and tartan fabrics, Fair Isle knitwear, sporran-inspired bags, argyle tights and kilts. At the same time, the collection evoked Coco Chanel’s own personal history and design proclivities: in addition to using Scottish wool in Chanel designs, she would often visit the Duke of Westminster in his Scottish Highlands estates during their relationship.
