When it comes to putting on blockbuster shows, the sky is literally the limit for Chanel.

For its autumn-winter 2011-12 haute couture collection, the deep-pocketed French label recreated a life-sized model of Paris' Place Vendome jewellery mecca - complete with a starry night sky.

The Chanel display usually takes place in the morning, but to add to the night-time feeling of Tuesday's show, it was held at the unprecedented hour of 10pm.

That meant a fatigued fashion crowd - which had been working largely non-stop for the previous 11 hours - traipsed into the venue, Paris' glass and steel Grand Palais.

Models circled the set's centrepiece - a life-sized version of the towering column that presides over Place Vendome - in cropped jackets with shirt-dress hybrids with sculptural bell-shaped peplums, which were layered over hobblingly tight pencil skirts.

In dark tweed embroidered with Swarvoski crystals, the ensembles twinkled like the faux night sky of the set.

Translucent, thigh-high boots and boater hats completed the looks.

The evening wear also hewed closely to the same silhouettes. Lean, ankle-length tweed dresses were embellished with trompe l'oeil contrast piping - in scintillating crystals - that mimicked the brand's best-selling skirt suits.

It was a collection that looked likely to appeal to the growing couture clientele in Asia, who tend to want Chanel clothes to be instantly recognisable as such - particularly when they're shelling out five figures for a dress.

And what could possibly scream Chanel more than an evening gown that looks like an elongated version of Coco Chanel's iconic skirt suit?