Fake fur, crystal-edged chiffon and an iceberg from Sweden dazzle shivering fashions as at autumn/winter extravaganza.

In the morning, Karl Lagerfeld received a phone call from President Nicolas Sarkozy notifying him that he is to be made a commander of the French legion of honour, one of the highest decorations the French government can bestow. In the afternoon he was supervision the small matter of having an iceberg shipped back to Sweden.

In amid he found time to stage a Chanel fashion show. But fashion show is possibly the wrong title for the truly spectacular Chanel extravaganzas that have become a pivotal moment in each Paris fashion week.

The audience arrived at the Grand Palais to discover the vast, glass-domed building even colder than usual. The reason for this was hidden under a huge white box, which sat plum in the middle of the banks of seating. As the show began, the box was lifted to disclose a real iceberg. The license to import it had been decided only on the basis that it was returned to its original spot intact.

The iceberg – along with the polar bear sketched on to the front of the invitation – were a clue to the collection, which was dubbed Shackleton Chic by the time the audience filed out. Yeti boots and fur-trimmed coats made for a winter collection that looked noticeably attractive to the shivering audience, particularly once word spread that all the fur in the show was fake.

Fur hotpants and tailored fur trousers will fail to demand to most, even without ethical concerns, but this hardly matters: what you see on the catwalk is show business, and what you will see in the shop will no doubt be edited and refined. This was a mainly strong collection, with fringed wool shifts, extravagantly sculpted knits and crystal-edged chiffon cocktail dresses bringing an almost couture level of detail to the clothes.

Chanel may be reinvented each season but handbags remains key to the brand and this is forever reflected on the catwalk. For subsequently winter the trademark quilting is reworked as a Perspex ice cube.