Karl Lagerfeld’s long-celebrated Chanel shows at the Grand Palais in Paris are looked forward to each season. They’re extravagant, they’re well thought out, and they show the public what the house has meticulously been working on by hand. Last week’s show’s over-the-top set was a love letter to Paris, highlighting the city’s unique charm of book-lined street vendors, the Seine, and its well-dressed inhabitants.
For the color palette, we saw Autumn in Paris as a source of inspiration. Zinc rooftops sparked a pale grey hue, pale pink and mauve was derived from a smooth sunrise, and black, navy, gold, and silver came from reflections of the moon in the Seine. We caught a look at crystal embroidery mimicking cobblestone streets and gold embroidery and netting inspired by the padlocks on the Pont des Arts.
Courtesy of Chanel.
We saw materials like tweed, flannel, velvet, lace, and chiffon take a spin down the runway, sourced with a central theme in mind—a new type of zipper construction. Seen on some skirts and jackets, the new zipper exposed under-workings that creates a structured look. Knee-length skirts revealed and underneath mini-skirt, and jackets, on the torso showed an unexpected cinched waist, and on the arm, fingerless gloves. An array of new pleated skirts also caught our attention, as did chiffon blouses, high band collars on shirts, lace tops, and beads, crystals, and sequins in delicate embroidery.
Many necklines and shoulders were seen draped, bustiers were seen paired with bubble skirts, and the iconic Chanel black dress was lined with a bustier top and a mini-skirt, seen in braided tweed or pleated silk georgette. Sophisticated sleepwear turned heads, too, with pajamas from Paris as the new must-have. A short silver robe, a black velvet dress, an elegant kimono, a taffeta dress with ballooning shoulders, and a feather-braided top were all noted. The finale, per usual, ended with a Chanel bride in a long, straight column dress paired with a pale green tweed jacket.
Courtesy of Chanel.
