“I wanted to do something impeccable. I wanted girls to look like animated fashion drawings.” Karl Largerfeld attempted to monopolize on the original spirit of 21 rue Cambon without copying a single detail. Beneath the glass dome of the Grand Palais, in a decor inspired by the 30s and Art Deco, the runway’s ambiance recalled the famed mirrors reflecting the grand stairway leading to Chanel’s haute couture salons. In the looks department, with plastered down hair and a flattened boater tipped backward with silvery leather pumps or thigh boots, this allure recalls Gabrielle’s own silhouette – with structured shoulders and a lightly lifted and marked waist, she reveals the hips to accentuate them.
In reality, the Chanel suit is introduced here in a myriad of bright colors – mint, checked pink, peach, lavender, yellow… But it’s the white version that captures the attention as it seems to sacralize the original inspiration – that of the Dame aux Camélias. Delicately, the tweed suit with embroidered galons is draped over the waist, bringing up the roundness of their tulip skirts. With a trompe l’oeil motif, they become coat-dresses, the jacket entering into a fettered skirt. This ultimate piece brings the Chanel suit into a whole new modernity made of lines and noble materials.
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