At the foot of an enormous globe sparkling with hundreds of flags, each one stamped with the Double C, the Chanel 2013/2014 autumn/winter ready-to-wear collection crosses continents in a “very mysterious palette of greys”, said Karl Lagerfeld.
The collection evokes an energetic globe-trotting woman whose modern allure is reflected in a silhouette that plays with volume and proportion
The collection evokes an energetic globe-trotting woman whose modern allure is reflected in a silhouette that plays with volume and proportion.
With a colourful fur flying helmet and legs tapered into boots, thigh-high or adorned with chains, she travels the world. In one hand, gloved in a bejewelled mitten, she holds a clutch bag in the shape of a globe, that vital travelling companion.
For this privileged stop-over on planet Chanel, the tweed suit has metamorphosed into ultra-fluid trompe-l’oeil dresses in perpetual movement. Tweed, ubiquitous in shades of black, grey, blue, purple and pink, is manifest in redingotes, reefer jackets and suit jackets, with rounded shoulders, wide raglan or kimono sleeves, with a funnel neck or a slashed sailor’s smock collar. They are worn with wide shorts, pleated short skirts or skater skirts undulating with asymmetric hems.
As silhouettes play with layering, the game of trompe-l’oeil is emphasised by tweed dresses lined with supple leather tunics or slit down one side and worn over a straight skirt.
The knee-length hemmed skirts unzip to the waist revealing a mini-skirt beneath. The thigh-high waders mix tweed gaiters together with patent leather boots.
This line gently pushed to the forefront is also found on the overcoats whose front panels are cut away to reveal thighs, a clever approach “that doesn’t hinder movement when sitting down” explains Lagerfeld.
Following this same principle of gestural freedom other coats, inspired by military greatcoats, in navy, peacock blue or verdigris and lined with fur-effect organza, are embellished and fastened with planisphere buttons.
A universal code that crosses all latitudes of luxury, the little black dress steps out this season enveloped in a corolla. Short and under-wired, it comes adorned with a delicate sparkle, translucent beads or hemmed neoprene; with cuffs covered in white ruffled chiffon, tweed splashed with some white resin or trimmed with patent leather.
One dress is enlivened by a neat trompe-l’oeil cape in bright pink, blue and orange feathers, extended by a patent leather skirt. Others have a graphic edge as leather stripes are highlighted by white sequins resembling streaks of paint.
A patent leather with white geometric patterns transforms into the trompe-l’oeil dresses that imitate a jacket and fluid skirt.
This sense of modernity also emanates from the three under-wired voluminous tunics, cut from a tweed woven out of zips, leather, lace, sequins and golden metallic fringes by the house of Lesage.
Long, black, organza dresses conclude the collection with their pleated panels shortened at the front to reveal a matching miniskirt beneath. In perpetual motion, Lagerfeld redefines the allure of Chanel.