FASHION WEEK 1

CHANEL FALL WINTER RUNWAY SHOW REVIEW

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

Karl Lagerfeld, the creative well-known french man and the master of the Chanel supermarket, Chanel cafe and Chanel casino runways. But for this collection, the director of Chanel has gone for a more simple effect, a runway style that Coco Chanel will have done in the 1950's. The models walked the 600 metre runway, where 3000 chairs were arranged in lines, row by row and every guest was able to see the details of this collection, as if they were all front row. "Fashion democracy" is what Karl named this design and insured that "no more complaints would be made" because the show was getting way too big for guests to see.

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The design for the set was inspired by the Rue Cambon Haute Couture salons positioned by Gabrielle Chanel to display her creations and manage her fittings. Lagerfeld was able to imagine the transformation of this set without directly replicating the salon and achieves it very well. Both Chanel and Saint Laurent's couture shows this week were presented without music and with an announced number for every look. All of this is old school style and it shows that the designers were experiencing an eagerness for the joy felt in a former place. Lagerfeld went for a change, yet he still has a market full of 21st century youthful icons seated front row, such as Willow Smith who rocks a futuristic look and Pharrell Williams who wore a tweed Chanel jacket and who perhaps had eyes set on a white sweatshirt, tied at the back with gold buttons.

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Karl sent a message through this show because it was International Woman's Day and yes the shows aspects of a sporty and modern collection is smart, but perhaps it's in depth purpose was to show that fashion is elite no more but instead has expanded to the generation of social media directed youth.

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Lagerfeld elevated the autumn/winter 2016-17 collection with the latest trend of 'greater than normal' like other runways this season. Lagerfeld's signature monochrome suit was as well elevated, as shown when he walked out from behind the scene to stroll around the runway and this time without his trademark model Cara Delevingne. Karl's godsun Hudson appear ed to be walking alongside his godfather for the stroll instead. Delevingne joined his familiar jaunt after the Spring 2016 Ready to Wear Collection, which she did not model in along with this collection, other models who joined the winter/fall runway are Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Molly Blair. Gigi looked splendid wearing a quilted beige coat with matching quilted eye shadow on the runway and Kendall modelled a leather , light pink outfit.

Baptiste Giabiconi, Chanel's leading man and opener of most of the brands shows, also ran the runway whilst wearing a Chanel tweed jacket over a turtleneck knitted jumper, the key outfit for men in this collection and worn by Pharrell.

The domination of pink ran the runway with a variety of shades such as fuchsia, magenta, raspberry and candy, whilst cream outfits with ruffles, lace and chiffon appeared, conquering the elegancy of the show. The most pronounced accessories were layers of pearl necklaces and felt hats that indeed defined the outfits and included embroidered straps featuring pearls and the flower camellias.