Paris Fashion Week 2014

Paris Fashion Week 2014: Featuring Chanel 

Chanel spiky and modern at Paris Fashion Week         By HELEN ROWE, Agence France-Presse July 2014

PARIS - Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld on Tuesday delighted haute couture's new breed of deep-pocketed customers with a collection just like them—young, modern and in many cases Asian.

Boyish, spiky-haired models wore hats perched on the back of their heads, cycling shorts and flat sandals with ribbons tied in a bow around the ankle.

Bags with long straps were slung around the body like school satchels.

Asked about the collection's youthful feel, the designer joked that not many customers were interested in clothes with an "old" feel. If there was a future, he said, "it can be like this."

Lagerfeld drew inspiration for his collection from one of the pioneers of modern architecture, Le Corbusier.

In the early 1930s, the architect created a terrace at his apartment overlooking the Champs-Elysees with an outdoor fireplace and a mirror set against a concrete wall.

Cue Lagerfeld's latest fashion extravaganza with a set inside Paris's Grand Palais that was all sharp lines and big white walls.

Huge paneled doors at either end of the catwalk slid open to reveal two Le Corbusier-style mirrors above 18th-century mantelpieces.

For autumn/winter 2014/15, Lagerfeld sent out a string of memorable looks featuring playful skirts, pointed shoulders, fur necklines and heavy embroidery that created a rich, baroque effect.

"I liked the idea of baroque elements and modern touches. His (Le Corbusier's) apartment was a famous place for that," Lagerfeld told AFP after the show.

The architect's terrace was destroyed before World War II but appeared over the years in many architectural books and magazines, he said.

"This is the typical thing of the collection—concrete with baroque elements. Le Corbusier goes to Versailles," Lagerfeld added.

Asian feel

A significant number of guests at the show were from Asia, such as Wen Hsin Tsai Hong from Taiwan who told AFP the collection had a particularly Asian feel.

The models, she said, were shorter than usual and had a noticeably "Asian shape," she said.

Another customer, Yi Mig Shi, 32, from Shanghai, described the collection as "young" and said she planned to buy two of the dresses.

For the finale, Lagerfeld added a dramatic touch taken from Chinese history.

Models moved in formation from opposite ends of the set, crossing in the middle, as if the Terracotta Army had been brought to life.

Lagerfeld then took to the catwalk with a pregnant model in a bridal gown, applauded by guests including fashion photographer Mario Testino and US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Haute couture, which exists only in Paris, is worn exclusively by the world's richest women due to its sky-high prices.

Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky told AFP that after years of an ageing clientele, more and more customers were now in their twenties and thirties.

They were looking for exclusivity and bought haute couture "for important events or as a present to themselves," he said.

Fashion houses are increasingly looking to the new elites of countries such as China for customers.

Last July, Lagerfeld's haute couture show contrasted a crumbling "old world" symbolized by a dilapidated theater with a modern, futuristic-looking city.

At the same time, Christian Dior chief Sidney Toledano declared that haute couture was "no longer something for old women."

Haute couture is a legally protected appellation subject to strict criteria, such as the amount of work carried out by hand, the limited number of pieces and the size of a house's workforce.

Around 30 haute couture collections for autumn/winter 2014/15 are being shown in Paris this week, before wrapping up on Friday. —Agence France-Presse

Chanel

DEFILES COUTURE

FALL/WINTER 2014-2015

Spotted at Fashion Week: The Best Shoe Trends of Fall 2014

by Nikki Ogunnaike

http://www.glamour.com  

 Balmain's Woven Booties

 Carven's Marigold Pumps

 Chloé's Furry Ankle-Strap Pumps

 

H&M's Snakeskin Boots

 

Isabel Marant's Multistrap Ankle Boots

 Kenzo's Chunky Wedge Booties

 Sacai's Shin-Guard Boots

 Saint Laurent's Sparkly Ruby-Red Mary Janes

 Valentino's Polka-Dot Booties

 Alexander McQueen's Crystal Combat Boots

 Louis Vuitton's Patent Leather Ankle Boots

 

Miu Miu's Nuts and Bolts Pumps

 

Miu Miu's Nuts and Bolts Pumps

 Givenchy's Spike-Heel Sandals

 

Rick Owen's Legging Sneakers

  

Stella McCartney's Chunky-Sole Oxfords

 

Blumarine's Round-Toe Heels

 

Etro's Slouchy Suede Boots

 

Emilio Pucci's Studded Leather Boots

 

Dolce & Gabbana's Ornate Flats

 

Salvatore Ferragamo's Luxe Knee-High Boots

 

Prada's Perforated Wedges

 

Alberta Ferretti's Feather Sandals

 

Blu Girl's Platform Mary Janes

 

Fausto Puglisi's Yellow Suede Pumps

 

Gucci's Snakeskin Boots

 

Just Cavalli's Colorful Suede Knee-High and Ankle Boots

 

No. 21's Mixed-Material Heels

 

Emilia Wickstead's Gold Ankle-Strap Heels

 

Erdem's Sparkly Heels

 

Christian Louboutin for Jonathan Saunders' Glitter Pumps

 

Markus Lupfer's Slingback Flats

 

Peter Pilotto's Three-Strap Pumps

 Preen's Lace-Up Mules

 

Mary Katrantzou's High-Heel Oxford

 

Joie's Single-Strap Sandals

 Karen Walker's Lug-Sole Penny Loafers

 Marc by Marc Jacobs' Multistrap Mary Janes

 

3.1 Phillip Lim's Black-and-White Boots

 

Proenza Schouler's Crisscross-Strap Flats

 

Tommy Hilfiger's Wedge Hiking Boots

 

Tory Burch's Victorian Era-Inspired Lace-Up Heels

 Ralph Lauren's Simple Mary Janes

 

Alexander Wang's Backless Boots

 

Joseph Altuzarra's Cutout Booties

 

Band of Outsiders' Oxfords

 Derek Lam's Cone-Heel Ankle Boots

 

DKNY's Platform Sneakers

 Edun's Furry Lace Shell-Toes

 

Jason Wu's Ladylike T-Strap Heels

 

Kate Spade's Red Pumps

 

Lacoste's Pointy-Toe Lace-Up Oxfords

 

Peter Som's Leopard Chelsea Boots

 

Prabal Gurung's Tiny Bell Ankle-Strap Heels

 

Rag & Bone's Shearling Booties

 

Suno's Brogues

 

Thakoon's Black-and-Brown Booties

 

Coach's Rubber-Sole Wedge Boots

 BCBG's Edgy Ankle-Strap Boots

Whit's Wedge Desert Boots

Photos: Mark Leibowitz

Fashion is about going ahead, not about memory.

Karl Lagerfeld

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.

Coco Chanel  

Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.

Coco Chanel

     Another enjoyable meeting, let's meet again soon.  XOs