Chanel Took Over a New York City Subway

Chanel has staged its annual Métiers d’Art show at a landmark French chateau, an 18th-century schloss in Salzburg , and a historic courthouse in Dakar. But for its latest presentation, held Tuesday in New York City, Chanel picked a location that has seen more rats than aristocrats: a subway station beneath Bowery on the Lower East Side.

Instead of graffiti or smelly trash bins, the decommissioned station was given a fresh coat of burnt orange paint and lit with warm LED lights. Chanel set up a quaint newsstand and vintage turnstiles. Guests sat on rows of replicas of classic subway benches, painted in matching orange. The models arrived by train, of course, and emerged from each of the cars before weaving up and down the platform as if they were regular commuters, pausing to check for o