October 5, 2022 |
Virginie Viard gave us a meditation on allure – that elusive quality of all iconic Chanel girls. What is allure and who has? Coco Chanel had it in spades, dictating style, creating trends and formulating a sophisticated version of French chic which survives to this day. Karl Lagerfeld brought a vivid, larger than life allure to Chanel and Virginie Viard presents her own modern day version, channelling the Nouvelle Vague (she referenced Alain Resnais’ Last Year in Marienbad, the 1961 film for which Gabriel Chanel designed costumes) and name-checked her Chanel predecessors, saying she wanted to channel “The allure according to Gabrielle Chanel, Karl, the night, feathers, sequins, heels: I like it when things get mixed up.”
Hers is a Chanel very much of today, focused on modern women and what they want from clothes. The inclusion of different body shapes on the catwalk signals that Chanel speaks to all women, not just the skinny gamines.
She dedicated the collection to Kristen Stewart, who wears Chanel with such effortless ease. “Whether it’s her, or the other women I dress, I need to feel that they like the clothes anyway. But, of the people around me, she is the closest to Gabrielle Chanel, at least to my idea of her. She understands Chanel, its clothes. And with her, it becomes even more modern. This collection, it’s also her.”
Stewart’s masculine/feminine qualities and her love of short skirts and hot pants played out alongside plenty of bows, boas and rhinestones.
This collection majored in bedazzled tweeds (in black white or pastel pink) and sparkling shoes (including a glittering pair of those cult block heeled sling-backs). Extra flounce was provided by dancing clouds of ostrich feathers embroidered onto tweed jackets. Chanel’s iconic tweed, also came in a short and sweet ivory coat-dress incarnation modelled by Stewart in a pre-show black and white teaser film, projected onto the auditorium’s curving walls. There were many nods to Stewart’s tomboy style. Viard struck a garçon note with lace trimmed boxer shorts, and addressed modern sexy -but-easy dress codes with stretchy knit co-ords. Then she countered it all with glorious glimmering lamé – an unadulterated moment of Chanel glamour.
The show ended with a crescendo of black evening looks – each one different and perfect in their own way – from sheer chiffon looks slouch trousers and jacket, to lace trimmed evening shorts, glimmering tweed skater dresses and mini dresses festooned with grosgrain bows. It was very Chanel. And very alluring.
Photography courtesy of Chanel.
