Early rainy morning of 5th October – the great morning of fashion week. Karl Lagerfeld shows collection of Chanel in Grand Palais - Grand Canyon of Paris. The whole stage was grand in nature and was shown as a replica of Versailles garden, but made in total black and white color like a landscape. Its graphic scale bore the look of a surrealist fantasy and was inspired by the film “Last Year at Marienbad”, for which Coco Chanel did the costumes. Some called it gala and others called it spectacular, but the event that that was organized at “beau monde” of Paris was a force in itself. It's one of these rare moments where fashion becomes great spectacle like Opera – grandiose and truly touching to tears, with modern classics from Bjork and The Verve's “Bittersweet Symphony”.
The show was huge in nature with close to 90 models participating in it and it was reflection of a monochrome theme that was running deep down in it. Lagerfeld had all the icons - Angela Lindvall, Erin Wasson, Carmen Kass and model of the moment Karlie Kloss all walked the 90-looks collection. But the highlight was undoubtedly Ines de la Fressange, the first model to have ever been exclusively contracted by Chanel, showing in long black gown with her weight in gold chains. Word has it! - Long fashion century of house Chanel.
The beautiful show gave a great emotional charge to more then 2000 people today. Indeed we've been spoiled today by such great treatment. While the original idea was to show the mastery of man over nature, what turned out at the end was the exciting work of Karl and his continuous endeavor to bring about refreshed symbols time and again in Chanel's heritage.
Love at First Sight With Chanel Spring 2011 Collection! It is an uncontested fact that Karl Lagerfeld draws the most glamorous women at Paris Fashion Week. And so it was earlier today that Claudia Schiffer, Vanessa Paradis, Keira Knightley, Lou Doillon, Alexa Chung and Lily Allen all congregated. The morning was truly a Parisian affair with cherished French ingenues Virginie Ledoyen and Clemence Poesy in attendance.
I certainly felt as if I had stepped through a wardrobe and arrived in Wonderland where women are eternally chic and sophisticated, refined in poetry, music and art. An appropriate moodiness opened the show, clothes distressed Chanel-style, which is to say faux-wrecked tweeds with holes impeccably embroidered for longevity and chic. Lagerfeld offered an abundance of news in lineup that more than stood up to the dramatic standing. Although the ideas came too fast and plentiful for full absorption, there were some clear motifs. Hemlines were long and short, and the colors soft and pale: pink, sky blue, peach, gold and silver tones — and heaps of black.
Lagerfeld's favorite jacket is a short tweed with a loose back, with black leather in concert with a vibrant tweed or print a racy alternative, with variations on the tweed suit-namely mini culottes paired with boxy blazers in a cool palette of pastels with a slight dose of sparkle. This was classic Chanel at its best. Leather thigh-highs, rough hemmed jackets and embroidered denim. The clothes were light in both construction and attitude. A pale pink taffeta dresses and jeans were slashed with holes and then embroidered with black beads. Lagerfeld lavished the clothes with feathers, exquisite embroideries and giant floral impressionistic print. The hem was filled in with pink feathers, which made look absolutely fantastic, like exotic bird from some amazing we ever seen, with so inviting voice in my head “Let's fly with me” to the fantasy of Wonderland – where this bird came from. Feather Fair!
The show felt like an amazing parade. At the end of the show all models freezes between ornaments of garden like antic statues for few minuets. And then.... Ines de la Fressange ran to the entrance to meet Karl Lagerfeld – the magician of this show. They walked hand to hand around this garden, and all models followed them. Well, dramatic Parisian Happy End. I love happy endings.
Before the Marithé & François Girbaud show even started all audience were prepared to see the show by soundtrack of the street, tuned with some street works and whistling tires, bells of bikes and cheer of teenagers somewhere on background. Indeed for the best – I definitely had to move myself from Wonderland's garden trough the Rabbit's hole to the simple funny street and to feel the joy of youth.
That show was probably the funniest show of the fashion week. The models walked down the runway fired up with energy and jumping, posing in funky stance before photographers. So cheerful indeed to look at models exploring all fun they have, and so unusual for modern podiums, where models represent glamorous ladies with “back” side of glamor – heroin expression. For ones we see smiling happy models waltzing around in ti-shirts and lose jeans, in fact not that elegant but so amazingly comfy. That's why this brand is so popular among youngs because it's always add funky side to the school time and fun to the boring studies.
Finding inspiration in cogwheels, the husband and wife, Marithé and François Girbaud, made the collection with the use of bright yellows, vibrant blues, and strong whites in a mixture of separates and dresses. Collegiate wear was also big on the couple’s designs with preppy styles, including traditional sweaters in bold colors. But such quickly moved into a modern phase in which dark tones of gray, black, and blue became dominant colors of the collection, offering a clean and sleek aesthetic.
Behind these simple scenes: sophisticated manufacturing secrets guarantee freedom for body and soul. Numerous geometric variations favor ruffles, rivets, laces. Tube and stretch lines for pieces that are worn just the way we want. False folds and layers, in reference to pants that cleverly turn into a bag. A garment or accessory? Never as simple as they look, little dresses and skirts, sporty jackets and pants campaign for eternally renewed pleasure-to-wear. A very subjective present reclaims the collective memory from here and there: military references, university spirit, scout emblems, hunting colors, masculine Prince of Wales checks, from historical uniforms to honor badges. New codes of conduct: take all the honors to serve definitely personal codes of casual charisma.
Well, it's not first funny charismatically geometrical collection of Marithé and François Girbaud, so probably that's why it gives inspiration to the teenagers for creativity. Little model Maio after show showed up in little jeans jacket with to sneakers attached to the shoulders. I asked he if this piece is from collection before. Laughing she said “no, I sewed them myself. They are my old sneakers. It's glamorous enough that Marie Antoinette would do it”. Indeed we all remember scene in Marie Antoinette's wardrobe - THE baskets among tiny little slippers.
I actually felt this creative energy – is all around us, like love. “Dinosaur” François Girbaud, like he called himself, it's exactly type of artist exploring his avante-garde ideas in everything what he touches – fashion, art, God knows what's more hidden deep down in universe of Girbaud family. Dinosaur... I perfectly understood what he meant by calling himself like that. He's the creator who keeps many great ideas and transfer them to the children, to make them feel all possibilities for creation. Well, I went out from the show and walked to the next day of Fashion week with that feeling.
