A unique close-up of Karl Lagerfeld's S/S14 Chanel show in Paris
A giant robotic bottle of Chanel No.5; 75 artworks designed by Karl Lagerfeld lining the walls of the Grand Palais; a token male model carrying a backpack of paintbrushes and a naked mannequin lying on a plinth with the title New Narciccus. The Chanel S/S14 show exceeded itself in size and grandeur, caught between a 1960s art school and Frieze, rocked to Picasso Baby by Jay Z.
"Futuristic bright eye make-up reminiscent of an artist’s palette, with thick Cleopatra cat-eyeliner and heavy blunt fringes"
However the real beauty was in the detail, with models wearing futuristic bright eye make-up reminiscent of an artist’s palette, with thick Cleopatra cat-eyeliner and heavy blunt fringes. Rainbow dresses worn with schoolgirl socks and montaged jackets that referenced art movements from Cubism to Impressionism. Monet landscapes rippled through deconstructed wool paneling, beside modernist block colouring suggestive of a Hans Hofmann painting. Classic Chanel tweed was given a psychedelic revamp, accompanied by neon boy brick bags and graffiti backpacks, while carabiner clips and chains accented the clothing. A mash-up of rags, weaves and paint chart cut-outs, the bricolage collection read like an artist’s sketchbook with a thread of Lagerfeld wit running through proceedings, from the red ‘sold’ sticker on a set of canvases to the pearl necklaces reminiscent of headphones.
Text by Mhairi Graham
