December 5, 2018 |
Waking up this morning, a particular song is on our minds. Walk Like An Egyptian seems to be on loop, with the drum machine intro making us head bop to this imaginary rhythm. No, The Bangles haven’t just announces a comeback tour (as of yet). It’s all thanks to the the hands and the mind of Karl Lagerfeld who took it upon himself to bring back a moment of Ancient Egypt into our lives. We’re talking last night’s Chanel Pre-Fall 2019 show here. While many a designer takes the Pre-Fall season as an opportunity to explore the commercial side of their brand, Lagerfeld does the complete opposite. This year marked Chanel’s 17th Métiers d’Art collection, with each of these yearly destination shows dedicated to honouring the craftsmanship of the finest ateliers responsible for all the finest details – from the small buttons through the shoes all the way to the intricate embroideries. After Hamburg and Lagerfeld’s homecoming in 2017, this year the fashion gang descended onto New York, more specifically the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With the Temple of Dendur as the backdrop, it was instantly clear what was going on. Inspired by both the Ancient documentation of Egypt as well as a whole range of more contemporary interpretations of the period, Lagerfeld threw a ball worthy of the most famous pharaohs. Mixing in a bit of Coco’s Paris and 1980s NYC, the final outcome was a polished eccentric woman with some great stories to tell. She loves herself a suit, but she also isn’t afraid of layering – a lot of the classic Chanel looks were worn over a white see-through mermaid skirts, a stylish ode to the graphic, two-dimensional silhouettes found on hieroglyphs. And on this occasion, this Fifth Avenue Cleopatra drenched in gold was joined by her stylish pal, Tutankhamon. There were exactly two men’s looks in the show (three if you count Hudson Kroenig in baby Chanel), crafted to perfection and making us seriously wish for a full menswear line. Ever wondered how to actually walk like an Egyptian? Now we know – a full-look Chanel is the only way to go.
