The Chanel Couture Spring 2017 was showcased Grand Palais, in a room filled with floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls. The mirrored circular runway reflected the famed Art Deco mirrors of Coco Chanel’s stairs at her atelier on the Rue Cambon, The collection emphasised glamour and elegance. It highlighted impeccable craftsmanship and beauty. Karl Lagerfeld said: “I wanted something impeccable, clean. I wanted the girls to look like walking fashion drawings,” said Karl Lagerfeld.
At the start, there were crisp tweet suits with clean couture lines (cuts that slope away slightly around the hips) capped off by jaunty hats. There was an emphasis on tailoring: the classic Chanel suit, in candy colours—mint, checkered pink, peach, lavender and yellow, each fitted with a wide, contrasting belt.
Next followed silver sparkle, glitter and embroidery; an ankle-length beige checked coat, subtly flecked with glitter and finished with an iridescent sequinned collar and cuffs. Later there were evening dresses, slim, elongated lines alternated with pretty ballerina-length crinoline skirts. And let’s not forget striking feather details on sophisticated silhouettes. There were poufs of peach ostrich and marabou that trimmed the hems and sleeves of glittering columns.
The final look was the coveted Chanel bride. It marks Lily-Rose Depp’s second runway romp for Chanel. The 17 year-old model and actress wore a striking blush pink gown covered in ruffles. Her mother Vanessa Paradis has also been a longtime muse to the designer. In 1991, eight years before Depp was born, she starred in the Jean Paul-Goude helmed campaign for L’esprit de Chanel perfume, and has since been the face of Rouge Coco lipstick and several accessories campaigns.
