Chanel
PARIS, October 6, 2006 - When interrogated by a reporter from Agence France
Presse after the Chanel show on Friday morning, Karl Lagerfeld used the word
"today" no less than three times in response to her question. By that, one
might assume that his emphasis in the spring collection was on making the
label appeal to modern, chic woman and men.
On the runway, that translated into a series of short, short dresses mostly
in black and white, ornamented with enough gold necklaces, bracelets,
medallions and chains to set off alarms at Fort Knox.
In program notes, Karl included eight black and white photographs that he had
personally styled. Three of them were dedicated to the men's line he now
shows with women's ready-to-wear, and featured a series of T-shirts with an
elliptical cutout mid chest, gold medallion dangling, feminine looking CC
belts (all but festooned with camellias), and a series of XL-sized
sunglasses. Of the women's ensembles captured by his lens, one pair of
athletic looking sequined shorts was presented with a tweed jacket tossed
over top. I suppose traditional Chanel goes as well at the beach as at the
Opera - one of my fashion friends says she uses her tailleurs for warmth and
comfort on long transatlantic flights.
For evening, tulle attachments were added to micro-short skirts, and of
course it all worked.
Karl's longevity and expertise serve him well when it comes to modernizing a
Paris tradition. After all, Stefano Pilati and Riccardo Tisci were still in
diapers when Karl was busily designing Fendi.
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