Chanel resort 2023

Where to start? Well, any seasoned fashionphile will immediately think of Karl’s tour de force shows at the Lido BUT this iteration of resort is in no way related to that other than sand and surf and of course, the absence of Karl or for that matter a competent designer who couldn’t find more visuals that speak to the location other than mostly car racing.

For starters, where is the glamour we all think of when we think of Monte Carlo, Princess Grace, gambling, money and excess? None of that can be seen here! Here we have gas station jockeys in coveralls, baseball caps, jogging pants, a tennis sweater, printed tees and a whole lot of exceedingly generic looking clothes that are made to be recognizably Chanel by adding some logos, tweeds, oddball accessories or buttons.

The photos speak for themselves, her exit at the end speaks for herself as ... do I really have to go out there? She should be jubilant she is employed by the largest most successful privately owned label that the entire world of fashion looked to season after season and yet her body language tells us it’s a drudge for her to present a collection.

There is no common thread, no cohesion here ... it’s just pieces ... a jacket here, a dress there and dare I say, whip out your old Pearl Nippon and get a bright colored Chanel logo belt and presto you’re chic...........NOT! A granny jacket with tap shorts or jogging pants is not the story of Chanel but for Virginie, it apparently is with no explanation. What was the bib fixation? Where was the swimwear? Where was the glamour, the luxe?

Rant over ... I’m done in and for me there is no excuse valid enough for this pile.

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Chanel fall 2022

On the plus side, to her credit, Virginie did not board the trend train that started in New York and continues to this day and beyond. BUT girl what were you thinking here? This looks like the farm girls got dressed to go to church or some ho-down somewhere!

Karl (too bad for VV that she will ALWAYS be compared with him) always had his share of clunkers in every show but NEVER a show full of them. This iteration makes all the models look thick and burly and the clothes leave so much to be desired that the photos say more than the words I can offer. Lurex tights and leg warmers, rubber mucking boots and by God the thick and tweeds and buffalo checks.

Yet, the film conveys a whole different message of girls doing a very bad rendition of the twist, the swim and the frug which would suggest we are supposed to think 60s... well, what did I miss?  I didn’t see any swinging sixties, the fantasy of the Vreeland years or the youth quake unless you think “8 maids a milking” are youthful after they mucked out the barn wearing their rubber boots and tweeds.

To say that this was sadly one of her most ill-conceived collections would be like saying the Pacific Ocean is a puddle! I just can’t fathom that with everything that has come before you and all the years you supposedly spent next to Karl that this comes to your mind as being the Chanel you know!

PS... was I so distracted by the unappealing clothes surely less than fabulous styling that I didn’t exactly see a collection brimming with accessories? BTW, it’s the 65th anniversary of the sling back cap toe pump and yet we got rubber boots!

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Chanel couture spring 2022

First and foremost, we must all get it through our heads that no one can match Karl and to constantly compare Virginie to him is a case where she will ALWAYS come up on the short end of the stick. So, if we look at this collection more objectively, we might find some redeeming qualities about it.

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Chanel made a pants statement... that’s for sure; sometimes the outer side seams were split and other times the inner leg seams split which provided a fluidity that might not have existed especially in the tweeds, while on the subject, they made a major statement in tweeds which didn’t always work given the season and apparent bulk of some.

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In this particular instance, this is a show that should be seen in motion as you just don’t see it all from a still such as the peplum back on some of the scuba inspired jackets and one of the evening stunners with a cowl back. What I don’t understand is that one button semi wrap skirt that is worn over another skirt or a dress. It’s superfluous and in most cases bulky. In another case of ill-advised notions was the sheer midriff pieces that should have been a moment and turned out to be a statement but any fashionphile will tell you no woman wants to expose that part of them let alone in a garment that can make you look fatter and wrinkled! An editor’s pencil would have certainly helped out here as I think a tighter collection would have actually benefitted the overall take away here.

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If memory serves me, evening seemed to be far too long and not very exciting. Many of the exits seemed generic and, in some cases, extremely ill-conceived i.e., the granny dresses in prints and pieces that looked more like negligee rather than evening wear that one might actually wear outside their boudoir. The shoe will be fly out of the stores but alas this collection was almost accessory free which in my opinion is an error for this brand.

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Falling victim to the comparison I warned of, Virginie does not have that final finishing touch that Karl possessed even on his famous “klunkers.” Yes, this season the models were groomed and made up but explain the black eye!!! Let alone Princess Charlotte on a horse to open the show...  if there was anything equestrian about this presentation it apparently evaded me.

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Okay enough said... it was a valiant outing but also a collection that seemed to get to a certain point and then went nowhere... triste!

Chanel... métiers d'art PRE-FALL 2022

Let it be said I   don’t deal well with change but Virginie might have presented her best collection to date with her Chanel métiers d'art show for pre-fall. No, it does not smart of the glories of Karl but it is a polished and pared down modern take on the brand without focusing solely on the famous cardigan jacket.

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There are jackets galore, some close to the body, some short, some cabans and even some ankle length all in a variety of rigidly to soft tailoring. There were moments of Karl/Ines   flashbacks and yet there were also pieces that spoke to a more contemporary Chanel rather than what we were trained to expect from the master. There was polish there, the shoes, the jewelry, the handbags, the camelia and yes takes on that famous cardigan jacket.

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What didn’t work, in my opinion were the bulky knits, the bare midriffs and of course the denims but then again even Karl used denim but I must say that the coats in the short denim sequence looked pretty incredible. The logo pieces were mostly unnecessary as they were too forced and mostly on the thick side, there was one dress toward the end where the logo appeared under layers of tulle which looked modern and young and well thought out.

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Color palette was refreshing since it veered away from a strictly black and white color theme but of course the most effective were the black and white pieces or combinations thereof save for a few crimson pieces. I’m not big on pegged pants but for some unknown reason it is possible they didn’t disturb me due to the fact that my attention was drawn to everything else in each outfit.

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I suggest you see you it in motion and hope that Viard will continue on this path rather than the divergent path she had chosen in her previous unappealing collections.

CHANEL spring 2022

How sophomoric to think that a show’s excitement is created by how the venue is set up... Virginie or whomever staged, choreographed and styled this show sure got it all wrong when trying to recapture any excitement. I digress as I will speak first of everything BUT the clothes... like long straight hair does not equate to young unless you mean 16-year-olds, booking second and third rate “models” is no asset when all they all they had to do was watch REAL models (Marpessa, Dalma, Evangelista) work a runway in the 80s. A head/hair flip doesn’t make you model, knowing how to capture attention in a way that doesn’t suggest imitation but in fact is genuine certainly would have helped. Apparently, Madame Viard didn’t learn all of Karl’s tricks of the trade.

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The clothes: well, so yes, they were sort of Chanelish some more than others and some ridiculously not at all ... I did get a good giggle at the double-breasted blouse and mid-calf sequin wrap skirt on a full figured “model” complete with sheitel! Shirting patterns at Chanel... not! Then there was this tsunami of horizontal stripes and embellishments; now anyone who has ever spent a day selling clothes to women of $ubstance knows that a horizontal emphasis is the kiss of death. While we are on the subject let’s talk about those clumsy fat Louis heeled sandals when only ONE cap toe flat was shown in the first look.

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There were a few good pieces in the mix but nothing outstanding and certainly nothing to scream about unless in disgust.... a butterfly print at Chanel... where did that come from unless she wanted to go the whole 9 yards and do a sequin butterfly top that was all the rage around 35 years ago. The excitement on this runway left us forever when Karl left this life and she apparently is no match for what he knew and it does not matter how long she was his so-called right hand.

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I say no matter how long you stand in a garage; you won’t become a car!

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PS. This collection should ONLY be seen in motion and she did do one  right thing  and that was pile on the accessories

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CHANEL fall couture 2021

WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS?

So, Virginie, I have some questions for you:

What season were you designing for?

What made you think these clothes reflect almost 100 years of the biggest single brand in the world?

While you were standing next to Karl. Were you in a somnambulistic state?

I would like to know if you think Karl would allow his models to parade down a runway looking unkempt?

A kangaroo pocket dress??

There were maybe 5 beautiful pieces and the rest are filler of absolutely no importance: why would you add a simple tailored suit? Or Marie Antoinette’s bloomers and camisole?

Walmart polar fleece is not CHANEL look so why is it there along side halter summer dresses and a satirical take on Scarlet O’Hara in black and white?

That was your finale. How pathetic. It’s like dropping a nail file during sex!

You should be scared girl, very scared you could be the next boulette de viande.... look it up!

Chanel resort 2022

If Virginie was standing next to Karl for 30 years at CHANEL, it is now perfectly clear that she was either in some somnambulistic state, the pin girl or just plain not paying attention as apparently, she learned nothing of the DNA of the most fabled and historically revered fashion house in the world.

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If this is her coming out, well then, I say go back in that freakin cave as this is an insult to the brand, to Karl and to Coco. How does one design a collection that is rife with signatures and known for its slick, soigné and timeless elegance come up with a collection that looks like the wardrobe from a low budget fashion horror movie. How does one design a collection that is this clumsy, this heavy handed and ...pardon me ... but who needs to see belly roll on a so-called model? Again, I guess this is the time to reiterate that no matter how long you stand in a garage you will not become a car!

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A resort collection that is mostly black ...oh right, GOTH... very Chanel and styling i.e., hair and make-up that looks like do it yourself and shoes paired with   fishnets that are inconceivable for a brand of this stature, not to mention the fittings.

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I have always said Chanel sells no matter what but not when it is geared to teen agers and wanna be nuns ...oh and being politically correct ... sustainable tweeds...great idea Virginie ... it’s too bad there is now a law that prevents burning this atrocity of a collection

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This woman needs to take a deep breath and realize she might have signed her exit interview with a pile of rags that looks like this. Okay, okay, don’t get me wrong there were about 6 pieces which were passable and the rest is just trash! This is a collection that Zara, H&M and Forever 21 would pass on !

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IT’S AN EMBARRASSMENT TO ALL CONCERNED INCLUDING THE FASHION BUSINESS AS A WHOLE.

CHANEL fall 2021

Never in my time as a reviewer of fashion would I have thought that these words would appear in front of my eyes ... WTF were you thinking Virginie?

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 I knew from the start that something was askew as CHANEL shows do not start with an opening of banal, generic and occasionally pretty ugly coats, not a suit in sight and sheer midriffs for Fall. It is one of the rare times I had to read the Vogue review before I wrote as I was genuinely confused and astounded by what I saw.

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This was far from a stellar moment for the house of CHANEL; rather, to me, this was an embarrassment of monumental proportions... yes, a bit overstated but holy shit there were a lot of just plain ugly clothes shown. No need to elaborate as the choices were vast.

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Yes, I got the ski reference but no I don’t get how you can make CHANEL look cheap, pedestrian, generic and anything but tasteful! Much of what was shown looked very H&M and Zara and in this instance that’s not a good thing!

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No matter the blah blah blah let’s just say that Chère Virginie you fucked this up in a big way that I might venture to say might shame Karl, the brand and certainly bring to light your lack of ability to take CHANEL to the next step.