by Annie Vischer
Karl Lagerfeld is well known for his ability to pick up on what is of-the-moment culturally, and imbibing his latest designs with it. His latest show at Paris Fashion Week has been no exception. For a start there were the designs. Karl Lagerfeld commented upon his latest collection with the words ‘I wanted to make expensive clothes as easy as inexpensive clothes’, and that intent is visible in every design.
Heels are low, silhouettes are loose and simple, and of course – as is the Chanel way – timeless. Accessories and items bore slogans such as ‘Ladies First’ and ‘Tweed is better than Tweet’, both juxtaposing traditional values and entities against the modern.
Karl Lagerfeld always manages to find another way of taking things one step further when it comes the spectacle of his shows. Last season this meant a supermarket set up to compliment the shopping basket style accessories, the season before that attendees were made to feel as though they were being hosted in an art gallery. And this year? Well this year the catwalk was stormed by his very own models. Intentionally of course! They stepped once more onto the runway, but this time in a crowd, waving protest-esque signs and bellowing through megaphones.
One might suggest the stunt is fairly ill-timed. Many of the slogans shown on the signs related to women’s rights, in the same month that Emma Watson so earnestly spoke to millions via YouTube links about separating the idea of feminism from the image of angry women.
Well, whatever the weather, the clothes were as eye-catching as ever.