News feed
For Karl Lagerfeld, it would seem Haute Couture comes easily. Not, by any means, in its details, all of which are all scrupulous in their articulation, but in the ease in which Lagerfeld presents – and subsequently astounds – season after season. Having ventured from Antiquity to Space, the house of Chanel has accumulated quite the passport stamp in recent years. This time however, he looked inwards, he and Chanel returned home. And how did he flag such a return to France? He built a La Tour Eiffel, naturellement. Not content with the existing structure it seems, Karl’s tower – a scale replica – was housed within the grand glass walls of the Grand Palais on the flanks of the Seine (rendering some Wonka-isms for our inner child). It sat so high, it reached the clouds – with a chalky puff encircling its tip. It was Paris within Paris, a sartorial semblance of the Eiffel Tower, which was to be Lagerfeld’s muse for the collection. Its flared structure resonated with a show that felt so very French. Perhaps falling in irony, the iconic landmark was once critiqued for its modernity, whilst in the modern day, silhouettes paid homage its history.
Credit: Peter White via Getty Images
Seamless, always, and impeccably lavished, the rumblings of a true haute couturier unfurled with savoir faire and élan in profusion. Like a Chanel of old, Karl revisited the world of Coco, reimagining it with the finesse and grandiose of Lagerfeld. His love of history was evident (remember his 2015 “History is Her Story” slogan?), and the current Chanel Haute Couture story was a zeitgeist of both the 1940s and a pre-World War, with beauty referencing such eras past.
Credit: Peter White via Getty Images
Despite the cross-section of ethnicities, each and every model looked to speak French, fluently so. Perhaps it was the Parisian canotier hats – which existed in bouclé (mais bien sur), or the lofty pearl and tweed earrings, reminiscent of croissant-eating, cigarette-smoking demimondaines. Or maybe it was the beauty, so very, very French, and of course, so very Chanel. Like the ladies on postcards you pick up whilst perusing the 6th arrondissement; sepia-rich and full of bygone glamour. Hairstylist Sam McKnight and makeup artist Tom Pecheux turned Karl’s girls into ladies – they were all grown up.
Credit: Peter White via Getty Images
Sam McKnight coined the hair “Chanel with a twist”, and in all literal sense, it was. An elevated twist, or “modern up-do,” it was simple yet masterful, rendering a why-hadn’t-we-thought-of-that moment. A topsy-turvy twist which looped at the bottom and at the nape of the neck. But, of course, the hair at Chanel does not simply suffice with just a polished twist, it was encased in netting, the kind of netting one would now only find near punters at the Races or in fancy dress. An age-old hair accessory, its Chanel revival a gentle nod the classics, as too the prolific use of hairspray – a very retro return to hair indeed. And the final pièce de résistance? Le canotier – similar to the one Coco wore, in varying fabrications from crystal to tweed.
Credit: Instagram, @sammcknight
Tom Pecheux made makeup truly haute couture, peacocking eyes with vibrant colour and rainbow swatches. It was crayon-eyes turned ladylike – artful with painterly Post-Impressionist strokes.
Credit: Peter White via Getty Images
To match the erupting inky feathers on Belle Époque gowns, the palette was rich in pickled tones, think beetroot, onion and gherkin, plus bold primaries – canary yellow, royal blue and tomato red.
Credit: Instagram, @tompecheux
Our Francophile flags are indeed flying high. From afar, we sit on the grass, under Karl’s La Tour Eiffel, bouclé boater on, brie-stuffed baguette and champagne in hand, in awe.
Credit: Peter White via Getty Images
