14 DAY TRIAL // Karl Lagerfeld might be a man that offends many with the things he says without as much as thinking about how they might affect others but, as a designer, his genius is not debatable. The latest collection he created for Chanel, for Fall 2010, and that was just premiered during Paris Fashion Week stands as testimony to how Lagerfeld only knows boundaries because he’s so good at crossing them, as a review in WWD says.
For the Fall 2010 show, the iconic designer decided to do two things at once: come up with fabulous creations and tackle one of the hottest topics of the day, climate change. The former came almost naturally, one might assume, but for the latter the designer needed some help with bringing in an iceberg all the way from Switzerland and placing it in the center of the Grand Palais in Paris, where the show was held.
Of course, even if this collection was all about being eco-friendly, that did not mean expenses were spared in making it happen. Aside from the real iceberg, for which countless permits were needed and granted only on the condition that it be returned from where it was taken without altering anything about it, great effort and lots of money were invested in each detail on the creations, from the fake fur (which seemed incredibly real) to the Chanel iconic handbags, which had to be customized to fit in the wintry theme.
“Thirty-five ice sculptors brought in from around the world took six days to carve the snow/ice or snice, as it’s called, which, surprisingly, was not the show’s only vocabulary lesson. The other: fantasy fur, Karl talk for the incredibly convincing faux fuzz developed for the shaggy, full-body polar bear coats, pants and boots – knee-highs and gaiters. Less rugged, more ladylike treatments imitated luscious fur trims on leather jackets, miniskirts, sleeves and hems, radiating cozy Chanelian chic while sending a major message: With the real ice caps melting, the ecosystem endangered, why contribute to the wildlife’s demise? And when the results are this good, there’s really no excuse,” WWD says of the collection.
“The production level required to create the collection’s hyper tweeds bursting with textural details, such as fluffy yarn, tulle and lace, and all sorts of agate and quartz embellishments, doesn’t come cheap. And the house has an audience willing to pay. Recession be damned – last year’s sales were reportedly the best in Chanel’s history. In this case, those big bucks will buy a visual feast, from the sweet white sweater dresses with patches of frosty blue to the frothy finale of ivory dresses trailing cascades of tulle and lace. As for the accessories, such as the snowball bag and boots with icicle heels, they were the icing on the cake,” the review reads on.
Of course, as with every other Chanel collection, we’re not to expect to see the designs in stores, be they high-end or not – at least, not until they undergo another phase in which they’re made wearable for regular Janes as well. This is showbiz, other reviewers point out, so we’re to judge the new line in this light first and foremost. As far as Lagerfeld is concerned, this is showbiz elevated to the level of art.
