Sandra‘s Closet

«Embroidery is to Haute Couture what fireworks are to Bastille Day.» – François Lesage

I love CHANEL‘s Métiers d’Art collections, that are always a visual treat for the senses, showcasing the craftsmanship for which the luxury house is revered. Those runway shows take place each year outside the traditional fashion schedule.

The name itself reveals it: Métiers d’Art means «art professions». They are considered demi-couture, right between ready-to-wear and haute couture; although the designs are not bespoke, their ornamentation and craftsmanship rely on couture techniques. The collections and their elaborate themes are brought to life by the small specialist workshops that CHANEL began buying in 1984, in order to preserve the expertise and craftsmanship associated with French luxury, among them the buttons and accessory maker (Desrues), costume jewelers (Goossens), embroiderers (Lesage and Montex), feather and flower makers (Lemarié), milliners (Maison Michel), shoemakers (Massaro) and so on. Today these ateliers have become essential to the everyday running of the fashion house, providing CHANEL with everything from lace to embroidered buttons.

For the Métiers d’Art collection 2020, named Paris – 31 Rue Cambon, Virginie Viard, who was with CHANEL’s haute couture department for more than 30 years before taking the helm as the Maison’s creative director in 2019, brought the show back to the legendary designer’s apartment, creating the magnificent set-up that placed emphasis on Coco Chanel’s famous mirrored staircase.

Her favorite look of the collection was number 34, and it was also mine. It is a piece of art, created using the intricate trompe-l’œil embroidery done specifically at the ateliers of Lesage, and the attention to detail is undeniable.

The story began in 1858, when Charles Frederick Worth opened his haute couture fashion house, and started making use of the prodigious talent of the embroiderer Albert Michonet, whose studio was purchased by Albert and Marie-Louise Lesage in 1924. This was the beginning of a period of fruitful and close collaboration with the best-known names of the time. They introduced tambour embroidery to the studio using the Lunéville technique, which could respond to the voracious demand for beaded and sequinned gowns during Les Années Folles.

In 1949, on the death of his father, François Lesage (1929 – 2011) took over management of the company at the tender age of 20. For 50 years, he has cleverly combined the skills of a traditional craft with meeting the pioneering requirements of the new generation of fashion designers. In 2002, the company became part of the CHANEL family.

Coming back to Look 34, that I am wearing in this outfit post. It features the Lunéville technique that involves using a crochet hook to chain stitch small decorations (black and gold beads) to the underside of the fabric. In this case, over 25,000 gold beads and 35,000 black tube beads are used to form the embroidered braids, before the seamstresses at the tailleur atelier carefully place them along the edges and cuffs of the wool tweed jacket and trousers. The classic handbag was created to complement the look, crafted in the same red-and-black wool tweed and finished with the embroidered braid detailing all around the edges.

Why am I explaining all of this to you? Those pieces are one-off creations that continually push the boundaries to showcase the fine arts that are only alive and well today because of CHANEL’s continued patronage. If you love fashion, you will appreciate the craftsmanship of those eternal items. This look is very dear to my heart.

My look: Tweed jacket with embroidery, matching tweed pants, and classic handbag, layered pearl necklace with bows, and two-tone slingback shoes, all by CHANEL (Look 34 Métiers d’Art 2020 Paris – 31 Rue Cambon),  velvet and Leavers lace-trimmed stretch-tulle halterneck bodysuit, and gold-tone, enamel and faux pearl clip earrings, both by Saint Laurent, and Carretto-print face mask, by Dolce & Gabbana.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
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For the first time, there was a credit that no one has seen at a runway show before: One of Chanel’s famous Parisian ateliers, the legendary couture embroidery house Lesage, lend their skills to Peter Philips, Creative Director for Chanel Makeup, by creating the most stunning embroidered eyebrow pads for the models.

Lesage (embroidery) is along with 7 other ateliers part of Chanel’s subsidary dedicated to “Métiers d’ art”, Paraffection. These include Montex (embroidery), Desrues (costume jewelry), Lemarié (feather-maker), Maison Michel (hat-maker), Massaro (boot-maker), Goossens (goldsmith) and Guillet (fabric flowers-maker).

The emphasis of the runway makeup look is on the eyebrows by using those amazing Lesage pads which won’t be for sale unfortunately. The rest of the face is kept nude and simple.

But there are two new products that will be available in the fall that will make our hearts leap with joy. “Ombre Contraste” is a compact powder in a lavender-taupe shade, called “Notorious” specially created for this show that Peter Philips used for all the shading and sculpting of the face.

For the nails, the new It- shade will be “Frenzy”, a light taupe, which is totally colour coordinated with “Notorious”.

Here is your shopping list:
(the highlighted ones will be available this fall, the rest is in stores already):

Chanel F/W 2012 Ready-to-Wear Show
Makeup by Peter Philips

Skin prepared with HYDRA BEAUTY SERUM

The Complexion
MAT LUMIERE
POUDRE UNIVERSELLE LIBRE
ECLAT LUMIERE
CORRECTEUR PERFECTION

The Eyes
LE CRAYON KHOL « Clair » (N°69)
RECOURBE CILS DE CHANEL
Embroideries made by Maison Lesage specially for the show

The Eyes and the Cheeks
OMBRE CONTRASTE “Notorious” – Exclusive Creation available in specific point of sales in September 2012

The Lips
ROUGE COCO BAUME – Spring 2012 Collection

The Nails
LE VERNIS « Frenzy » (N°559)  – Fall 2012 Collection

Cannot wait to have “Frenzy” on my nails!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Chanel 2012, Vincent Lappartient

As promised, here are the photos that I took during the Chanel Paris – Bombay Pre-fall 2012 Métiers d’Art show in Paris last week. My eyes could not get enough of this opulent perfection, I truly loved the show and had to capture every single moment which meant over 200 photos.

Every year since 2002, Chanel has taken the Métiers d’Art show as an opportunity to showcase master craftsmanship. The artisanal crafts of embroidery, leather work, featherwork, boot‐making, millinery, and gold and silversmithery are represented by Lesage, Montex, Desrues, Lemarié, Massaro, Michel and Goossens, each striving to honour its unique heritage. Karl Lagerfeld spotlighted their skill last week at the Grand Palais in Paris, whose Galerie Courbe had been transformed for the day into a luxurious Maharaja’s palace. We were seated at an almost surreal banquet, transported by gentle jasmine aromas as they feasted their eyes on the Paris‐Bombay collection. For more photos of the decor, please have a look at the previous post by clicking here.

The show whisked me away to a Bombay dripping with opulence. “It’s a concept of India. More Chanel than India. The Parisian version of an India that doesn’t exist,” elaborated Karl Lagerfeld. He could not have described it better. It was a very modern extraordinary take on the India without being a masquerade. The designer played with the details and made me crave for every single look. But see for yourself:

Under the glow of chandeliers and ceiling lights, the Paris ‐ Bombay collection evoked a new femininity. The charm of India, the pomp and splendour of fabrics and the magic of gemstones intermingled with the Chanel aesthetic of cascading pearls, contrasting black and white, and braided tweed jackets.

One of my favourite looks was this hot pink dream!

The probably most Indian-inspired looks presented a new stunning silhouette of the sari in a modern masculine‐feminine concept, inspired by Maharajah style, glorified in splendid draped fabric, and ultra‐feminine in a dainty jacket with diamante epaulettes. Inspired by the achkan, the brocade jacket with Nehru collar was manifested here in a series of alter‐egos: a gold‐embroidered darted jacket with pearl braiding, a white plastron jacket with mirror‐embroidered pockets, a darted half‐belt jacket with baroque‐pearl‐studded collar, a riding jacket and crested blazers with tailored shoulders.

Needless to say, the jewelry was divine. You would like to own every single piece!

The “bride” appeared on the runway in an embroidered ivory silk crepe dress draped over the body and head. Cue the sensuous rustle of saris exiting the Maharajah’s palace to decorate cities everywhere.

THE ACCESSORIES:

Karl Lagerfeld reinterpreted the already iconic Chanel Boy Bag in many different versions. The bi-coloured one below with the embellished strap can be only described as absolutely divine!

All shoes were flat with thigh‐boot flats stamped with arabesque motifs that marvellously set off the most luxuriant materials. Get yourselves on the wait lists now!

HAIR & MAKE UP:

Jewel‐buttons, jewelled bindis were adorning the forehead. The hair was done in a Rasta style. The focus of the make up was laying on the eyes with a heavy kohl embellishing the smokey eyes. Peter Philips, Creative Director of Chanel Make up, came up with a graphic, mysterious interpretation of an iconic Indian beauty.

On the nails: The new Le Vernis Diwali that Peter Philips had specially created for the Chanel Paris-Bombay Métiers d’Art show! This new light golden shade which will hit the shelves around June 2012 will be a must next summer.

THE MUSE:

No Chanel show without Karl Lagerfeld’s muse: Baptiste Giabiconi.

And last but not least some hard facts about the stunning Paris-Bombay decor:

– 50 meter long buffet table
– Flowers: roses; jasmin or lotus flowers
– Small train which distributes beverages (100 meter rail) around the buffet
– Bell jars, danishes, fruits baskets, glass ornement chandeliers….
– Floor: sequined sand, roses petals

I am definitely not exaggerating by saying that this was the most amazing show I have ever been to! Thank you, Karl!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Just when you finished off your wardrobe for this winter and have started thinking about next summer, I am challenging you once more with something very beautiful for next year’s fall.
Who said following fashion was an easy task?!

This Tuesday was a very snowy day in Paris but the guests who enjoyed the atmosphere in the Chanel Haute Couture salons were transported to another era, time and place. Karl Lagerfeld was inspired for his pre-fall 2011 collection by Byzantium, one of Coco Chanel’s major inspirations when she was the first to launch a line of costume jewelry in the 1920s.

The Paris–Byzance Métiers d’art show broadcasted Chanel’s specialist craftsmen that the French house has gathered under its umbrella: Desrues the costume jeweler, Lemarié the feather specialist, Lesage the embroiderer, Massaro the shoe-maker, Michel the milliner, Goossens the goldsmith and Guillet the floral accessory specialist.

In a decor reminding of an Ottomanesque chill-out room with 400 metres of squined fabric covering the walls, Lagerfeld revisited the bold colors and antique golds. Byzance and its splendor embellished every look from belts adorned with square glass beads to gold running through burn-out tweed and embroidered silks.

The make-up was kept in the same color family with one star product: The cream palette is combining five different golds and is said to be limited to only 1500 pieces.

This collection is for the modern Theodora empresses who might be Chanel’s clientele of today. Celebrating Chanel’s strong heritage is surely a smart move and one key to remaining a powerhouse in the decades to come, especially with the opening of a second Chanel boutique in Istanbul.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel