beyond addicted: Chanel - Spring/Summer 2012

Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld is well known for his creative sets and production value when presenting Haute Couture especially.... and this year certainly didn’t disappoint.

This season King Karl built an Air Chanel Jumbo jet to house the couture extravaganza – including the larger than normal gangway for the models to use as the entrance to the runway, with illuminated numbered seats, Chanel flight attendant trolleys and a clear roof to showcase the pretend clouds above. King Karl’s attention to detail was seen throughout, as the show took off emulating an actual flight.

Whilst the fake sky was still shining bright the pieces strutting down the runway emulated daywear with simple a-line shapes, structured boat-neck necklines, 80s styled puffed up sleeves, bell drop skirts and dropped waists never seen before in any other couture show. You could tell the ladies would have struggled to walk in the strappy pointy toed shoes though. But what confused me the most was the ladylike shapes with the crazy rebel Mohawks styled with long earrings..?! It was slightly distracting but slightly perfect for THIS show.

As they sun slightly lowered, the designs moved into longer skirts around the ankle which seemed a bit awkward but from this we knew we were headed for evening wear when the sky turned to darkness.

Even though there was a slight theme of structured boat necks, not one of the evening gowns looked the same which was magnificent. Every single gown was a combination of different fabrics, design, and colour palette.

Transparent chiffon, huge puffy sleeves, wool jackets, jewelled buttons, sequins, broaches, heavily embroidered cocktail dresses to knee and long billowing princess like gowns were just a few of the design features on Karl’s runway.

The collection had a futuristic feel to it... as if we were looking at a romantic Parisian aesthetic crossed by an edgy popstar like Nicki Minaj or Katy Perry by King Karl that would be appropriate in five years time. I truley felted transported whilst watching the show – If only every flight I ever go on was like this in real life.

Now let's take a closer look behind the scenes to the making of these incredible items