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It was easy to measure the importance of Chanel’s first London catwalk show last night. There were road closures and black cabs monogrammed with the recognisable interlinking Chanel Cs.

Front-row luminaries included Lily Allen, Thandie Newton and Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco. There was also a photographic exhibition by Karl Lagerfeld, Another Royal Residence, to keep the monarchists happy.

But more than that there was a real sense of British heritage. The collection might have been designed and created in Paris, but the feel was London through and through. Named Paris-Londres, it is part of an initiative separate from any fashion-week schedule, because is about something more important than passing trends. The sixth of its kind, it is the realisation of Lagerfeld’s initiative to preserve the dying skills of the Parisian haute couture workshops.

An endangered species that specialise in painstaking skills including ornamentation, shoemaking and embroidery, the workshops were failing in the face of low client numbers — and four million competitors in India.

But in 2002 Chanel, one of the few companies still reliant on these artisans’ skills, purchased the remaining five ateliers d’art and in doing so secured their futures. Now known collectively as Paraffection, Lagerfeld showcases their unique and exquisite craftsmanship each December in different cities around the world. Previous hosts have included Tokyo and New York, but last night it was London’s turn. And you couldn’t miss the cultural references.

Irina Lazareanu, the model who was engaged briefly to Pete Doherty earlier this year, opened the show in an evening gown and heavy biker boots. She walked straight on to the empty music stage. Standing behind the microphone, Lazareanu provided a very stylish musical accompaniment for the rest of the show and solidified the unity between fashion and music that London does so well.

Today the most fashionable accessory a girl can have is a guitar case. But it was the Sixties that originally brought these art forms together and Lagerfeld paid homage to the pioneers with Modish coats, short hemlines and shiny black tights. Other British themes included tartan, bowler hats and sparkly Union Jack evening bags. Even the moody colour scheme of predominantly grey and black matched the weather outside.

Yet everything was created with a decadent French eye. Several classic bouclé coats were edged with what looked like the Crown Jewels and the silks were so delicately pleated they moved like smooth white chocolate. If his only aim was to show off the exceptional skills of the Parisian couturiers, passed from one generation to another, then Lagerfeld succeeded easily.

But, hopefully, this show also went some way in securing London’s position on the international fashion map. There was a time, only a couple of years ago, when Parisians would have looked down their perfectly made-up noses on our capital, but yesterday they were out in force at the show.

Once upon a time there were only two shows a year from the French house. Today there are seven: two each for ready-to-wear and couture, plus cruise, pre-collection and this latest initiative, which Amanda Harlech, Lagerfeld’s muse and right-hand woman describes as ready-to-couture.

The show certainly did the couturiers justice, but it was also indicative of increasing expectations from their clients. Fast fashion trends, it seems, do not have to come from Primark.

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