Chanel fall winter 07/08 haute couture

PARIS, July 3, 2007 – From his lofty position at the ultimate heights of fashion, Karl Lagerfeld can still deliver a lesson in what makes a brilliant collection: clarity and intense follow-through. Put simply, he looked at Chanel from one angle—sideways-on—and turned that technical exercise into a show that focused all the imaginative, structural, and decorative skills of haute couture into one idea: tracing the body line from shoulder to ankle. "High profile," he called it. "Everything is flat at the front. It’s all side effects."

The concept gave a linear dynamic to clothes that employed every conceivable device for piling interest into the place where side seams ought to be. In the opening series of narrow, tuniclike coat-dresses, Lagerfeld used strips of leather, moving into feather and bold tracings of pearl. Then, as he progressed into evening, there were glimpses of sequined embroidery or rills of georgette fluttering from the sides of numerous black lace, ribbon, and chiffon dresses. Tailored hunting jackets with flying peplums in back contributed to the overall sense of forward motion, as did the finale gowns, some trailing airborne capes in their wake. All this was underscored by the image of impossibly elongated women on the move, striding along in leather leggings, heads clad in abstracted hoods or futuristic feathered earmuffs.

Even the drenching weather—the show took place under canopies pitched in the Parc de Saint Cloud—couldn't dampen the energy, exquisiteness, and coherence of this collection. After nearly 20 years at Chanel, Lagerfeld has nothing left to prove, but his power to surprise and modernize is still a phenomenal sight to behold.

– Sarah Mower (Source:style.com)

Chanel Ready To Wear Spring/Summer2007

PARIS, October 6, 2006 – With perfect pitch, Karl Lagerfeld dashed off yet another virtuoso demonstration of how to play up and down the classic Chanel scale in tune with any season. It was up-tempo, light and girly, with a cute opening device: a bouncy parade of girls in standard-issue white cotton cabine coats swinging along, attracting all attention to stacks of gold cuffs, link bracelets, chain-and-pearl necklaces, and plastic-Lucite-and-glitter wedges and platforms.

The segue into the short, A-line, and fluttery was carried off, sans effort, via breezy white flared tops over little black skirts, with a trill on the abbreviated white tucked-front shirtdress, and a high-note from a gold-quilted chain bag. Then the clever bit: What on earth to do with the old, potentially heavy-wash-cloth Chanel tweeds in such a mood? Why, put them with black sequin short shorts—thus chiming with the leggy forties showgirl theme of the moment—and shoot sparkle through the borders of the bouclé.

Instead of the multitudinous flocks of options he has sent out in the last few seasons, this single-file presentational march condensed everything that can be thoroughly Chanel, yet completely du jour. While he was at it, Lagerfeld also dashed off sporty striped T-shirt dresses, tulle-covered denim, Edie Sedgwick, metallic-scuba, and puffy Empire organza moments, but mostly it was all about those newly wantable accessories. Black leather quilted mini bags, smothered with biker-like metal logo badges, were the final ta-da. In other words, a hit.

Text by Sarah Mower
Source:press release Chanel

Chanel Spring/Summer 2007 Collection

Source:Chanel

Chanel Srping / Summer 2007 Haute Couture

PARIS, January 23, 2007 – The genius of Karl Lagerfeld is his way of whacking a topical spin into every couture collection without ever compromising the ineffable core of Chanel. This time, he had a phalanx of men roll out a giant double-C rug, and struck up the band—Cat Power, who laid into some punked-up Stones and Smokey Robinson classics. So it was with the opening volley of clothes—sixties-but-modern supershort coat-dresses and even more abbreviated jackets, all striding out on a base of leggy black tights.

His ability to compress variety into those rigorously tiny, neat silhouettes was something to behold. There was a black one with patent collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps. A navy military pea coat had bandbox-smart striped edgings. Yet more toppers with delicious sproutings of feathers or fragile tulle bows followed, until out came a gorgeous little raggedy-edged dress with a tight waist and puffed-out skirt.

Any other designer might have been satisfied to stop there, but Lagerfeld had evening to deal with. There, he changed gear, flipping between pristine military mess jackets over long, sheer-net skirts and silvery sequined streaks of vertical ribbon, let loose in the hem to whip around, car wash-style. If that gave a more random feel to the show’s second half, well, it also succeeded in covering all occasions (and age requirements). To produce a show of this vast range and handiwork takes an army. To that point, Lagerfeld had a nice finale up his sleeve. At the end, a curtain drew back to reveal the massed Chanel workers: models, atelier staff, studio designers, and house ambassador Amanda Harlech, who all followed Lagerfeld out to share the applause.

Text by Sarah Mower(www.style.com)