"To elaborate on the notion of some future where all history—and even nature itself—has become a distant memory, Lagerfeld gave us flashes of the past as seen by the future: tweeds wantonly decaying into lavish fringing, ravishingly artificial floral trims, suits whose propriety was unhinged by proportion. You could imagine that this would stand for beauty in a world where people were wondering where all the flowers had gone." - Tim Blanks for Style.com
Sometimes, fashion disappoints. I've hungrily looked through entire seasons for a show that makes my pupils dilate and fills my veins with something more magical than just blood, but sometimes, I'm left hanging.
So, thank you, Paris Fashion Week, for being a trusty savior that has reinstated my faith in beauty time and time again, always delivering a punch in just the perfect place to knock the air out of my fragile lungs.
I fell in love with couture because it made realize how frustrated I was at the world. We are capable of creating and loving, destroying and hurting. We are alive. Yet, we do so many things that make us feel like just the opposite. We put ourselves through the same onerous routine, for a future we might even want. We value comfort and belonging over art and self-expression. We can turn tides and move mountains yet we choose to do so little. We always tell children to think outside of the box yet everyday we are teaching them how to construct a tiny dungeon around souls that are not meant to be contained.
Couture is the perfect foil for our lives. According to Karl Lagerfeld, this show came to him in the flash of a second. We all get these sudden strikes of courage and inspiration, but the difference between most of us, and well, the designer of Chanel, is that Lagerfeld captures them and devotes the next 6 months to realizing that one second of glory. The thing about couture is that everything is hand-made. It took 15 seamstresses a whole month just to complete that last wedding dress. Couture is the antonym of pragmatism and reality. That's what makes it so appealing. It's a dream that we can see and touch and try on for size.
Here are some of my favorite moments from the show! (I think a lot of these trends can actually be applied to our everyday wear!)
The couture beanie
Let me know when H&M comes out with one of these, please. Or, if someone wants to do a DIY on this, be my guest!!!
The frayed tweed
I really enjoyed how Lagerfeld transformed this formal-wear classic by giving it a more soft, romantic vibe.
The bright matching sets
Simple and lovely!
The hanging belts; the crop top + drop-waist skirt
Hoping to find some extra-long belts to try out that look :)
On the other hand, one thing I make pretty obvious is the fact that I have a strong distaste for the crop top trend. When I first saw this Chanel show, my initial reaction was, "NOW CHANEL HAS DONE IT. CROP TOPS WILL NEVER DIE." But after some more careful consideration, I've decided that I rather like the way they showed them here. Most of my friends that regularly sport crop tops usually pair it with high-waisted bottoms. But you know what? If you want to do something, commit to it. If you're going to show some midriff, don't try to keep it to a minimum. Just go ahead and bear it all!
Evidently, this look is not school or work appropriate, but Lagerfeld proves that it can definitely be done with sophistication.
I would really recommend watching this video, posted by the official Chanel YouTube channel, to get the behind-the-scenes details on how this collection was made.
And of course, the wedding dress.
You really gotta see how this thing (and the rest of the collection) moves! Click here to view the full show.
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