Within a luxuriant greenhouse, beneath the dome of the Grand Palais, Karl Lagerfeld chose to present the new CHANEL Spring-Summer 2015 Haute Couture collection.
The set, made entirely of paper, was themed waltz of the flowers, and featured a palette comprising of pink, orange, red, electric-blue, pollen-yellow, sap-green, black, grey and white. Each tone and detail carefully selected to best embellish the gentle, curved lines of the silhouettes on show.
“The waist is the new cleavage!” Lagerfeld cried, with pencil skirts and dresses in fringed woven chiffon coupled with cropped blouses and long ethereal coats belted with leather.
“They’re flowers that don’t exist, it’s a vision of an earthly paradise, an imaginary greenhouse,” Karl Lagerfeld explained, in his trademark playfully obscure manner.
Haute couture doesn’t exist within a ‘wearable’ paradigm, however, the ‘day’ looks in this collection could easily be translated into everyday wear, while the evening and bridal wear really did look like something you would see in a horticulturalist’ greenhouse.
For day, the tweed jackets with 3⁄4 length sleeves, rounded shoulders and wide necklines were presented over dresses and full, or pleated, chiffon skirts.
For evening, the detail of the collection is really in the embroidered flowers, entirely sequined coats, beaded boleros and tulle swathed in feathers. Not necessarily the most appealing shapes, but Chanel none-the-less – at its quintessential best.
