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A Winter Wonderland
By Timothy Hagy
The snow fell, three dimensional crimson lightening bolted, and out came a sleek, elegant collection for Lagerfeld Gallery, one that offered a very personal and intimate look into the designer's own wardrobe. From the opening frosty parkas trimmed in white mink, the Lagerfeld silhouette, with laser-sharp graphic lines and micro-thin cut, spoke volumes about how the world's greatest designer interprets chic. As if to make sure nobody missed the point, Karl even had the boyish-looking models hair pulled back in ponytails and veiled their faces with dark sunglasses.
The heart of the show was broken into a collection of thin lapel jackets paired with low-riding slacks (wrapped with silver buckle belt s) and pinned with ties affixed with sparkling brooches. Elsewhere, mink scarves draped the shoulders, while deep colors of cocoa, marine and a reddish chestnut dominated the runway. Black sheer tops were sewn with sleeves twirled in silvery spiral designs, and beautifully draped chiffon cocktail dresses nearly smoked with an erotic undercurrent.
It was vintage Karl Lagerfeld, which inevitably leads back to vintage Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme. Many of the themes - the sharp silhouette, the pleated and pressed leather, the androgynous
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approach to beauty, can be traced right to that source. Hedi once said "Karl brings me so much in a very natural way", but the reverse must surely also be true. Karl is never far away at a Dior show, and in fact, he's the young designer's greatest public relations asset.
Sydney Toledano, President of Dior Couture, when pressed on that point, demurred, "The show was Lagerfeld. It was really Karl, his own style, except of course for his suit."
Backstage, dry champagne flowed in abundance, as guests munched on oil-free red potato crisps. Karl, whose eyes always dart towards clothing, told this reporter, "I have that Dior jacket too, but it's a little warm to wear today."
Oh well, at least it fit right in with the wintry theme of his collection!
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