Chanel, Spring/Summer ’08 (scroll down to read the review)
Chanel
Coming up the stairs at the vast Grand Palais, we saw the stage set for the Chanel show and our first thought was that it was a Zaha Hadid or perhaps a Richard Serra. But as we took it all in, we realised it was just a giant pair of papillons or bow ties in blue resin, 2.5 metres high, that the models would eventually walk round.

Karl Lagerfeld is a man who can multi-task (designing Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld, taking pictures and publishing books) and develop hundreds of ideas consecutively, so there was a lot going on in the one hundred odd looks at Chanel (most houses show around 40) - certainly plenty to keep the brand’s fans happy for the whole season.

There was blue denim for salopettes, trenchcoats and even swimwear, and trousers in what appeared to be destroyed tweed (not a washing machine disaster, but actually Lesage embroidery to imitate the look). There were the Chanel tweeds, specially woven for the house, hand-finished with Lesage, and knits that mimicked them.

The house chain was woven into cloth, along seam lines and threaded through eyelets up and down jackets and dresses. There were stars and stripes which will delight the stateside fans (expect to see lots of patriotic magazine covers in the US come July), and even tennis gear. There was something for everyone and our favourites were two delightful nude-coloured dresses, one in sequins, the other in crepe with circular ‘petals’ layered over a spiral cut that wrapped round the body.

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