It was crystal clear last week in Paris that Karl Lagerfeld was once again breaking fresh ground with multi-facetted silhouettes and some unexpected pieces including a new suit: “The new three-piece, a jacket and little dress over trousers!” (This will be a huge trend for F/W 2012. Also Miuccia Prada had shown this look for Prada F/W 2012).
As well as a very long riding coat with large, rounded, sloping sleeves and the “pantacoat”, an all-in-one with legs that unzip to become a coat. Volumes are amplified by drawstrings or gathered belts, are highlighted by top-stitching – a reference to the same detail found on the Boy CHANEL handbag. There are jackets with sailor-smock collars and a fur-lined coat like the one worn by Stella Tennant at the start of the show (see photo above).
Needless to say, the decor at Chanel is always ouststanding. This time, the breathtaking ambiance was created by a brightly-lit mineral backdrop, beneath the glass roff of the Grand Palais. Giant blocks of uncut amethyst, clear rock crystal and opaque quartz erupted from a sparkling, white floor. “Nature’s the greatest designer,” said Lagerfeld to style.com, pointing at some of the more spectacular crystalline excrescences. “These shapes are millions of years old.”
The mineral rock setting extended into fabric metaphors with combinations of wool and more technical materials glinting with a subtle metallic shimmer. Subdued shades of hematite, azurite and obsidian are illuminated by a myriad of jewel-coloured splashes of sulphur, lapis-lazuli, emerald and amethyst. Stippled iridescent feathers, “softer to the touch than fur”, bring warmth to the outfits. Crystals and minerals reinterpreted in the style of Czech Cubism become prisms of gleaming vinyl.
I included some of the backstage photos for you to see the beautiful details of the clothes even better. Enjoy Chanel’s new mineralogist silhouette!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of Chanel
