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.

                                                                         click image to enlarge

                                                                      click image to enlarge

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!

                                                                         click image to enlarge

                                                                        click image to enlarge

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.

                                                                       click image to enlarge

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

                                                                       click image to enlarge

                                                                        click image to enlarge

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 !

                                                                              click image to enlarge

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

Chanel Métiers pre-fall 20/21

This is the Chanel, Coco, Lagerfeld, Villard bouillabaisse that was so very Karl so very Chanel.

                                                                             click image to enlarge

This was au revoir Grand Palais and bonjour Chenonceau which could have been anywhere since all that was put to use was the grand foyer.

                                                                            click image to enlarge

My take is that it is historical, retro,  slick,  sloppy,  thin and  thick and lots of polar opposites… but  to me this is not a collection that can be  assessed or critiqued like normal collections as these are collectors’ pieces and I do mean  pieces whether it be a  skirt or  jacket, a bag, a necklace or even a hat... but the wedged  cap toe I thought was fabulous.

                                                                          click image to enlarge

                                                                          click image to enlarge                  

Did I love the Chenonceau belt, oh yeah, and I think very Karl…?  as for the hair and make up well there is always next time as I think that if the models looked more polished so would have the clothes.

                                                                         click image to enlarge

                                                                          click image to enlarge

I seemed to see references to museum paintings yet at times it appeared to be funereal or virginal and at other times ha cha cha cha… cohesive not at all but somehow, I wanted to touch hold and feel so much of what I was seeing. All the crap that filled the press release is just absurd as the métiers show has always been meant to show off the astounding accomplishments of the ateliers so no one with any knowledge of the brand needed to be reminded of that fact.

                                                                          click image to enlarge

Virginie seems to neglect or is not in possession of the fine points of what Karl was so proficient at and that was how to give each and every exit a final tweak to make it perfect. Her collections lack that perfection that final touch as well as the fact that styling (hair and make-up included) is just as important as the clothes.

                                                                           click image to enlarge

                                                                             click image to enlarge

If you look at this as a collection well then its more of a clunker than a dazzling display of the prowess of the Chanel ateliers but if you dissect it, then you might find beauty that is incomparable. Sadly, Virginie’s cross to bear is that she will always be compared to Karl and right now it’s still looking like she is the assistant and not the designer.

                                                                          click image to enlarge

Chanel fall 2018

And then came Karl… a walk in the park... autumn leaves at your feet and the Kaiser delivered a spectacle of fashion worthy of its setting. This aspect of fashion is rarely if ever matched other than during the Galliano/Dior era. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

There is no question that when Chanel delivers... it delivers on every level... clothes...bags... shoes... jewelry and of course clothes... Clothes that will require revolving doors be installed at the shops. The collection is chock a block with details, easy palette, lots of gold and it wouldn’t be Chanel or Karl if there weren’t some major oopsies but who cares… the collection is modern, it is designed, it’s old,  it’s new… it is full of what Chanel ladies love and it is sure to bring new women of all ages into the fold.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

A liberal use of metallics, a lot of scarves, the gold oxfords and boots... details, trims shoulders, suits, dresses and perfect lace dresses that will never go out of style. It is important to take note there that there were no men, no kids and your focus was never diverted from what strolled through the park kicking leaves as they went. You could never mistake this for any other season but fall and for any other collection but Chanel.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

With that said, I might take back a little of it with that fairly summery garden like print but who cares because when a collection is of this enormity, you can just overlook its quirks and oddities. The opening salvo of blacks and greys and tweeds is just pure unadulterated Chanel.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

With each collection there is this looming sense that it might possibly be the last that the Kaiser will do and then the newest chapter will be one that no one will be able to foresee as Karl and Coco are inextricably in the minds of those in fashion and Chanel without Karl is almost unthinkable!!!

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

Chanel Metiers d’Art .... Hamburg 2018

Grüße aus Hamburg

click image to enlarge

 

 Let the fawning begin and bring out the smelling salts and the depends. The accolades are streaming in and yet I can’t seem to see the supposed fabulousness of this presentation. Yes the purpose is to display the work produced by the Chanel-owned luxury artisan-specialist companies, Maison Michel (millinery), Barrie (Scottish cashmere), Goossens (jewelry), and Lesage (embroidery). Yes, mission accomplished, but the clothes certainly left a lot to be desired. This was commercial Karl just a more expensive version …. Well at least for the most part.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

The real star here was the tailoring which seemed uncharacteristically sharp/cleaner and offering a more defined silhouette to the suits, jackets and coats. Yes, this was Karl coming home to Hamburg and much has been made of the fact that Hamburg is a coastal /seafaring city hence the nautical influences. Even the fisherman (aran) sweaters took on a Chanel touch when paired with leggings, opaques and captain’s hats. I know, I know the cropped full legged sailor pant is an iffy situation at best but oh the jackets and the coats.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

The overall effect was sort of this Night Porter meets Coco meets Greenwich Village beatnik cool meets motorcycle mama meets "hey sailor.". The shoes were divine; the accessories bountiful, the bags ranged from the Chanel standard fare to the rather amusing accordion (concertina) but let’s go back to the hats which were part of every total look. As is always the case with any Chanel collection , there were the de rigeur Karl Klunkers and this collection was possibly more rife with them than usual. The dresses seemed oddly out of synch with the tone of the collection despite their over the top embellishments. They ranged from downright “you must be kidding me” to “well, if I must.” Don’t get me wrong there were a few looks that might even register as amazing.

click image to enlarge

One of the things that struck me was there was an almost exact duplication of a suit from the 60s which was photographed on Romy Schneider and being fitted by Coco herself. Seemed odd since Karl has always massaged and manipulated the DNA but rarely if ever practically copied line for line let alone in  the same coloration. All in all, to me, this was really not much to write home about but then again it is still better than most of the flock’s best efforts. 

click image to enlarge

Chanel PFW fall 2017

Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah… intergalactic … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Chanel … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah … Blah … blah … blah … blah …

click image to enlarge

Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Karl Lagerfeld Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda …. constellations …  yada… yadda yadda yadda… fall 2017 Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… Coco Chanel … Yada yadda yada… yadda yadda yadda… very Jean Shrimpton

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

P.S. this was certainly not a jaw dropping expansive collection we have come to know and anticipate but it is pure 1000% Chanel. Truth be told, the collection was thick, heavy handed and phoned in BUT the boots alone will be a runaway best seller and there is plenty to wear. One hopes this collection is not a precursor to Karl’s eventual decline! Maybe it’s just Karl being bored with it all but keep in mind this is a man who has been lauded, maligned, dissected, loved and loathed and yet HE is still standing among the rubble that fashion has become so I say again .. He laughs at them all because NO ONE did what he has done and continues to do. MISSION CONTROL>>> WE HAVE MADE CONTACT!! DO YOU READ ME?

click image to enlarge