I say it again and again; I honestly don’t know how Karl Lagerfeld one-ups himself season after season. And not just for the two main Ready To Wear collections he designs every year for Chanel; but also for Cruise, Métiers d’Art and, of course, Haute Couture. This man has so much on his plate… Beyond the legendary French house, he also designs for Fendi and his own label, so it’s just unfathomable to me. I don’t know where so much creativity can possible come from! I know I would be burnt out.
A few weeks ago during New York Fashion Week, I once more had the pleasure to visit the Chanel showroom for their Haute Couture presentation. On view was their Autumn Winter 2015 collection; the one with the full blown casino and Kendall as the androgynous bride.
Mathilde from the Chanel team was my host; she took me around the space and explained to me the ideas and craftsmanship behind what was before my eyes. The classic Chanel tweed jacket, for instance, was reinvented into a 3D printed, quilted, mesh-like piece that was molded, not sewn; therefore completely seamless. Some of the pieces were lined with fabric embellished with sequins, crystals and other ornaments, made visible through the mesh. Others were left see-through. One iteration was made to look like tweed from afar, but further inspection revealed up-close that the texture of tweed was in fact an illusion created with dripped, splashed and splattered metallic paint reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s abstract expressionist paintings.
In past seasons, it seemed as though the hats and headpieces by Maison Michel where the most important accessories, but this time around it was the shoes that stole the show. At least for me! Following the three dimensional theme that spread across the collection, the shoes were like wearable origami. I’ll take one of each color, please!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the photos.
xoxo
Maristella
Photography by me.
Thanks to the Chanel PR team for their hospitality.
