FOR HIS autumn/winter Chanel show yesterday in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld commandeered the whole of the mighty Grand Palais, lining its walls with shadowy imagery and sending models down boardwalks that spewed vast, vaporous clouds of smoke.
It set the tone for a downbeat collection, mostly devoid of colour, in which grey was mined for all its tonal variations, from dusty and pale to a dark charcoal black. Though sombre in mood, the attitude was streetwise and young, Parisian chic in straitened times. Gone was the bling and the heightened styling; in its place a workaday look to the soft Chaplinesque black trousers, their turn-ups in tweed matching that of the close-fitting jackets. Even the stride of the models, purposeful and determined, drove home the point facilitated by flat ankle boots and slouchy socks.
Keeping the look modern and boyish, he paired short skirt suits or tunics in sombre tweeds with skinny leggings, cardigan coats with cropped trousers and kitten heels. Shoulder lines capped with chunky details had a tough but elegant air, and some jackets were appliquéd with leather.
Bags were reduced to small pochettes and art deco variations on the iconic quilted 2.5. The downward trend in hemlines for winter was underscored by capes and floor-length coats. Divorce the dark drama of this line-up and nesting in between more masculine shapes were the neat little tailored jackets and trim boucle dresses so favoured by the coiffed, well-heeled Parisiennes in the audience.
There was more obvious femininity in the evening wear, where gauzy shadow prints made appealing frontispieces on a black dress or on a sheer-seamed shift. Despite the recessionary restraint, glittering jewelled camellia decor on a tuxedo knit had the unmistakable look of luxury.
Like Lagerfeld, French designer Vanessa Bruno keeps her eye on the street and her collections always have a contemporary vibe. Layering is very much her style, and filmy printed silk smocks cocooned by midi-length coats or fur-shouldered tweeds were up to the minute and what the local beau monde call boho chic.