Models take a walk through wintry woods for Chanel

PARIS (Reuters) - Chanel wrapped up its models in leaf-motifed prints on Tuesday, celebrating autumn as it recreated a misty forest inside Paris’s Grand Palais.

On the final day of Paris Fashion Week, the Chanel show featured some impractical attire for a winter’s hike, from golden over-the-knee boots to a little black slip dress worn by 16-year-old model-of-the-moment Kaia Gerber.

But the storied French brand’s latest autumn/winter collection also included more cozy looks, from quilted trousers and fur ponchos to coats with feathered cuffs, and even a chic balaclava - a recurring item on catwalks from Milan to New York in recent weeks.

Chanel’s famed tweed suits made an appearance, some with longer, narrow skirts for the winter months. And long coats with leafy patterns in combinations of blues and pinks, and others in green with hints of orange, were among the show stealers.

Guests including actress Keira Knightley and singer Lilly Allen crouched on benches cut from logs in the glass-domed Grand Palais exhibition hall, which was made to resemble a forest complete with musty smelling leaves and moss on the runway.

The privately owned label is known for its over-the-top displays, which have included a mini-Eiffel tower, a set featuring cliffs and a waterfall, and a Chanel-branded rocket which lifted off from the catwalk.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, sporting a full white beard along with his trademark ponytail and sunglasses, made a brief appearance to wave to the crowd on Tuesday.

The prolific 84-year-old also collaborates with Italian label Fendi, part of the LVMH stable of brands, which presented its show in February.

Paris Fashion Week closes the season of style presentations that have whipped through New York, London and Milan.

February shows are predominantly focused on womenswear for the coming autumn to winter season, though some brands are experimenting by showing menswear at the same time, or offering spring clothes for immediate sale as they try to chase younger customers used to shopping online.

Long the capital of the fashion world, Paris also got a fresh fashion boost on Monday from French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited established designers and up and coming figures to a gala and appealed to more foreign brands to move to France.