December 3, 2014 |
On Monday, 10’s very own Captain von Trapp, Antony Miles, headed to Salzburg, Austria, the land of The Sound of Music, to see Chanel’s pre-fall 2015 collection. The show was set in Schloss Leopoldskron, a rococo palace built in the 18th century. The collection reflected the epoch of the location: the models walked through the salons wearing feathered hats and breeches, ribbon chokers and ruffs. Aside from the 18th century references, the collection reminded me of two things. First, Leisel, the eldest von Trapp daughter and Bridget Hennessy of the household and second, of The Fifer, by Edouard Manet. Take the final look for example. White and tiered, Cara Delevingne looked like Leisel when she and Rolf sang Sixteen Going On Seventeen. (They actually sang this song in the castle’s gazebo.) She looked, to quote the song, “innocent as a rose”, don’t you think? Pharrell’s costume in the ‘Reincarnation’ film lensed by Karl Lagerfeld (click here to watch), the striped trousers and frogged jackets, reminded me of the flute player in Manet’s painting. All that was missing was the flute. And what would a fashion show set in Austria be without a pair of lederhosen? Hudson Kroenig took care of that, wearing a pair with a wool jumper and Tyrolean hat. But what Chanel most impressed us with was their execution. From the feather work to the embroidery, the skill of their ateliers is astounding. Once again, the house has created clothes of fantasy, drawn from Lagerfeld’s expansive imagination and executed with the expertise endowed by its remarkable heritage. For Team 10, when the dog bites or the bee stings, all we think about is Chanel.
By Ted Stansfield
