Paris Fashion Week 2014: Featuring Chanel
Chanel spiky and modern at Paris Fashion Week
PARIS - Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld on Tuesday delighted haute couture's new breed of deep-pocketed customers with a collection just like them—young, modern and in many cases Asian.
Boyish, spiky-haired models wore hats perched on the back of their heads, cycling shorts and flat sandals with ribbons tied in a bow around the ankle.
Bags with long straps were slung around the body like school satchels.
Asked about the collection's youthful feel, the designer joked that not many customers were interested in clothes with an "old" feel. If there was a future, he said, "it can be like this."
Lagerfeld drew inspiration for his collection from one of the pioneers of modern architecture, Le Corbusier.
In the early 1930s, the architect created a terrace at his apartment overlooking the Champs-Elysees with an outdoor fireplace and a mirror set against a concrete wall.
Cue Lagerfeld's latest fashion extravaganza with a set inside Paris's Grand Palais that was all sharp lines and big white walls.
Huge paneled doors at either end of the catwalk slid open to reveal two Le Corbusier-style mirrors above 18th-century mantelpieces.
For autumn/winter 2014/15, Lagerfeld sent out a string of memorable looks featuring playful skirts, pointed shoulders, fur necklines and heavy embroidery that created a rich, baroque effect.
"I liked the idea of baroque elements and modern touches. His (Le Corbusier's) apartment was a famous place for that," Lagerfeld told AFP after the show.
The architect's terrace was destroyed before World War II but appeared over the years in many architectural books and magazines, he said.
"This is the typical thing of the collection—concrete with baroque elements. Le Corbusier goes to Versailles," Lagerfeld added.
A significant number of guests at the show were from Asia, such as Wen Hsin Tsai Hong from Taiwan who told AFP the collection had a particularly Asian feel.
The models, she said, were shorter than usual and had a noticeably "Asian shape," she said.
Another customer, Yi Mig Shi, 32, from Shanghai, described the collection as "young" and said she planned to buy two of the dresses.
For the finale, Lagerfeld added a dramatic touch taken from Chinese history.
Models moved in formation from opposite ends of the set, crossing in the middle, as if the Terracotta Army had been brought to life.
Lagerfeld then took to the catwalk with a pregnant model in a bridal gown, applauded by guests including fashion photographer Mario Testino and US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
Haute couture, which exists only in Paris, is worn exclusively by the world's richest women due to its sky-high prices.
Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky told AFP that after years of an ageing clientele, more and more customers were now in their twenties and thirties.
They were looking for exclusivity and bought haute couture "for important events or as a present to themselves," he said.
Fashion houses are increasingly looking to the new elites of countries such as China for customers.
Last July, Lagerfeld's haute couture show contrasted a crumbling "old world" symbolized by a dilapidated theater with a modern, futuristic-looking city.
At the same time, Christian Dior chief Sidney Toledano declared that haute couture was "no longer something for old women."
Haute couture is a legally protected appellation subject to strict criteria, such as the amount of work carried out by hand, the limited number of pieces and the size of a house's workforce.
Around 30 haute couture collections for autumn/winter 2014/15 are being shown in Paris this week, before wrapping up on Friday. —Agence France-Presse
Chanel
DEFILES COUTURE
FALL/WINTER 2014-2015
Spotted at Fashion Week: The Best Shoe Trends of Fall 2014
http://www.glamour.com
Balmain's Woven Booties
Carven's Marigold Pumps
Chloé's Furry Ankle-Strap Pumps
H&M's Snakeskin Boots
Isabel Marant's Multistrap Ankle Boots
Kenzo's Chunky Wedge Booties
Sacai's Shin-Guard Boots
Saint Laurent's Sparkly Ruby-Red Mary Janes
Valentino's Polka-Dot Booties
Alexander McQueen's Crystal Combat Boots
Louis Vuitton's Patent Leather Ankle Boots
Miu Miu's Nuts and Bolts Pumps
Miu Miu's Nuts and Bolts Pumps
Givenchy's Spike-Heel Sandals
Rick Owen's Legging Sneakers
Stella McCartney's Chunky-Sole Oxfords
Blumarine's Round-Toe Heels
Etro's Slouchy Suede Boots
Emilio Pucci's Studded Leather Boots
Dolce & Gabbana's Ornate Flats
Salvatore Ferragamo's Luxe Knee-High Boots
Prada's Perforated Wedges
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Blu Girl's Platform Mary Janes
Fausto Puglisi's Yellow Suede Pumps
Gucci's Snakeskin Boots
Just Cavalli's Colorful Suede Knee-High and Ankle Boots
No. 21's Mixed-Material Heels
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Christian Louboutin for Jonathan Saunders' Glitter Pumps
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Peter Pilotto's Three-Strap Pumps
Preen's Lace-Up Mules
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Alexander Wang's Backless Boots
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Rag & Bone's Shearling Booties
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BCBG's Edgy Ankle-Strap Boots
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Photos: Mark LeibowitzFashion is about going ahead, not about memory.
Karl Lagerfeld
A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.
Coco Chanel
Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.
Coco Chanel
Another enjoyable meeting, let's meet again soon. XOs
Another enjoyable meeting, let's meet again soon. XOs
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