Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Chanel Haute Couture fall 2013



With Dior very much on my mind, I cannot help but now think that Mr. Simons does indeed talk too much and takes himself way way too seriously for his own good.  The Kool Aid has taken effect!  No matter, as what strikes me here is that Karl laughs at them all as well as himself.  Please note the self-satisfied smirk at the end of show!

In my humble opinion it is Karl who has offered  Mr. Simons concept of a so called “NEW COUTURE” but one can be sure that the last thing Karl thinks about is that it should be more accessible which is as it should be.  The thing about Chanel is that Karl needs no excuse or blather to explain his actions or his collections because every season is a reimagining of the fabled brand.  Every season Mr. Lagerfeld stretches the boundaries of what might be considered fashionable or fashionably acceptable.  So like it or not here he is showing off what he has done for a house that had fallen to its knees and that HE brilliantly revived with clothes and not blah blah blah.

Chanel is tweed and with it being Fall and all, tweed it is!  In today’s show, the proportions are toyed with, the clothes are layered, the accessories are minimal and the result is a spectacular visual definition and statement of why Haute Couture is not for everyone, nor should it be.  Much to their credit, Chanel now owns/controls so many of the ateliers that enable all designers to continue to participate within the rarefied world of Couture.

Sorry to digress there but it all needs to be said, as there is no Kool Aid here!

The clothes, as usual, compile an unabridged dictionary that contains the vocabulary of Chanel.  To pick them apart is pointless as they are the currency that Chanel trades on and their customers will gladly be forking over piles of it so that they can own a piece.  This is, after all is said and a done, a business... the business of selling clothes and no matter what is said and no matter what is written, Chanel and Karl can rest on the unrivaled performance of the brand ..Take that Raf!! Chanel wrote their own book of rules when it comes to doing business and they remain privately held and not controlled by a shareholder or a board of directors and they do not offer quarterly earnings and that crap… they remain a single entity in a the corporate world of fashion.



Sorry to keep veering off like that, the clothes are amazing, they are as always awe inspiring works that test the abilities on boundaries of the ateliers.  The dropped waist belt and the Boy George baseball cap will be instant trends.  The thigh high boot will be sold out in days, the tweeds, some heavy handed, and some not, will be ordered in the blink of an eye and the evening  clothes are the re-affirmation that Haute Couture is only for the very rich and justifiably so ... 




You want democratic fashion… great... I am sure H&M would love to have you (Raf) on board.   


Laughable!  In the end, the ladies of Chanel will determine the success of the collection and it will not be based on my or anyone else’s review, so have a look …..

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