CHANEL ROCKS! That was the verdict at yesterday’s fashion spectacle at the Grand Palais in Paris where massive quartz stalagmites and gravel sand provided a dramatic setting for a collection of hard-edged, icy beauty that mined the natural world of minerals for its colours and jewelled riches.
Karl Lagerfeld delivered a shade spectrum of amethyst, smoky grey and purple, encrusting fabrics, footwear and even the eyebrows of the ponytailed models with surface decor of chunky crystal jewellery and gemstones.
A three-year-old boy almost stole the limelight, striding out on the catwalk, hand in hand with a model, a quilted bag slung across his shoulder.
With his customary showmanship, Lagerfeld always finds inventive ways of refreshing the familiar Chanel motifs and codes; the new look was the three-piece suit, jacket and skirts over leggings, the new shapes roomy curved coats with dropped shoulders or ballerina-length hooded parkas. Tweed suits with fuller skirts and shiny upturned collars were worn over skinny velour pants, keeping the look of luxurious streetwear on track.
Even the play on grey upped the ante on daywear; fitted hourglass jerkins and shapely dresses glinted with crystal or were armoured with thickly crusted cuffs, making jewellery integral rather than an accessory to the outfits. A long darkly golden dress trimmed with a feathered ruff brought the autumnal feeling into evening closing a collection bound to appeal to the well-heeled crowd including Katy Perry in a plunging lace neckline who, along with other invited guests and celebrities, braved yesterday’s windy, wet and wintry weather for the occasion.
Tomorrow, Chanel will open a huge new boutique furnished with gold tweed, Goossens chandeliers and various artworks on the fashionable Avenue Montaigne, while today the Paris season will draw to a close with the last of big shows, Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton at the Louvre.