PARIS - FASHION'S undisputed king, Mr Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel, served up an haute couture collection fit for royalty on Tuesday, with dangling trains adding a regal touch to everything from classic tweed skirt suits to slim cocktail dresses.
Homage paid to Chanel No. 5
PARIS - GIANT replicas of the distinctive Chanel number 5 perfume bottles towered over the runway at Karl Lagerfeld's haute couture show for next winter in the Grand Palais on Tuesday night.
In the global recession it was a timely reminder of the reliable revenue for fashion houses from scent, which Coco Chanel was one of the first to understand.
A heavy dose of sequins in rhinestones in royal plum and fuchsia tones gave the winter 2010 collection added monarchical cachet.
'Chanel has always been royal,' said the label's one-time muse, former model Ines de la Fressange with a laugh.
'We get the impression that (Lagerfeld's) obsession is never to rest on his laurels... I think that what amuses him is to constantly innovate with new forms.'
The train, a graphic rectangle of fabric that dangled to the models' ankles, certainly gave a new twist to the classic Chanel skirt suit.
The trains also added a dose of evening glamour to above-the-knee sheath dresses in rich jewel tones.
The bride - who traditionally closes Paris' wildly expensive made-to-measure couture shows - wore an off-the-shoulder gown made of layers of lace, with a short, pouffy skirt and a train of cascading white ruffles.
She and the handsome groom - in an all-white tuxedo - emerged from an oversized model of Chanel's iconic No. 5 perfume bottle, one of four set in a square at the center of the elevated catwalk.
'That train even changes the way the models walk, giving them this new regal bearing,' said Mr Mario Testino, a top fashion photographer, in an interview from his front row perch.
'Karl manages to not only reinvent fashion every season, but even reinvent the way people walk.' -- AP
