Feminine allure
Karl Lagerfeld last week revisited the classic lines of Chanel haute couture in his spring-summer 2003 collection for the venerable French house, combining old-time feminine allure with modern accents.
Staged at the glass-enclosed Pavillon Ledoyen in a park off the Champs-Elysees, the show had the feeling of a high-class garden party dating back to the 1920s – except for the constant buzz of cellphone chatter.
A parade of signature tweed suits, mainly in black and white, harkened back to the days of Coco Chanel, but with 21st century touches. Short jackets had tulle collars and cuffs, while longline jackets had empire waists.
Lagerfeld extended the colour palette to pastels, with one cream-coloured suit flecked with pink and gradually ending in a frilly fringe of tulle and sequins. Others, in pink and coral, were perfect for a day at the races.
Ballerina tutus – which drew scorn from fashion critics when US actress Lara Flynn Boyle wore one to Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony – figured in Lagerfeld’s girlish vision of summer, whether in black paired with a crisp white jacket or to finish off a strapless pink gown sprinkled with silver stones.
Camellias, one of Coco Chanel’s favourite flowers, appeared throughout Lagerfeld’s creations, with some woven into a black lace pattern or as floppy appliques stitched onto suits.
For evening wear, Lagerfeld’s short dresses harkened back to the flappers of the twenties, with one in pink tulle adorned with tiny packets of pink and green sequins and accented by three baby-pink satin ribbons.
The models took on the role of fairy princesses in full-length chiffon gowns that fell to the floor in a cascade of fluttering flower petals – either in red or white spattered with pink.
Among the key accessories for the season were ropes of chunky beads and multicoloured pearls, oversized rings, miniature brimmed hats and modest heels with a strap across the foot and three others around the ankles.
The glittering effect of the jewellery was extended in the swept-up hairdos of the models, with dozens of miniature baubles clipped into their curly tresses, and twinkling in the rare mid-winter sunlight penetrating the venue.
Invitations for Chanel were so in demand that the house put on a second catwalk show two hours after the first presentation.
Last Tuesday’s jam-packed fashion schedule was set to continue later in the afternoon with Christian Lacroix, Swiss designer Laurent Mercier’s first couture collection for the French house Balmain, and Givenchy in the evening.
– AFP
