“It’s about Chanel, but wearing it is trivialized,” Karl Lagerfeld announced just before the spring show. “Sweet, but not too ladylike.” Thus introduced, a parade of neat but never tense soft pastel pink plaid tweeds, dainty micro-printed georgette dresses, guipure lace skirts and fresh versions of Coco’s favorite knit dressing happily trotted around. The inimitable signature jacket was as light as a cardigan and beautifully trimmed with small chiffon ruffles with raw edges instead of the classic braided trim. To further underline the superior capabilities of Chanel’s workshops, Lagerfeld took the pattern of antique knitted bedcovers (a labour-intensive, French-provincial technique called “ouvrage des dames”) and had it reproduced in narrow cardigan coats with scalloped edges, which he slipped about short dresses. Even the teen bikinis were crocheted.
Among all this sweetness, a cute idea popped up: the khaki trench, channeled by tweed ribbing at the seams. That’s no ordinary edging, as Lagerfeld took the trouble to point out; the tweed is specially woven by major Parisian couture craft supplier Lesage. In a world where the word “luxury” is overused and devalued, Chanel is a house where the standard flies as high as ever. And it’s Lagerfeld’s nonchalance with these to-die-for details that imbues the clothes with the essence of confident chic.
