A serene sense of melancholy and tranquility mixed with the overwhelming, jaw-dropping beauty that stood before you when you walked into the Grand Palais on March 6th. Classic, you thought to yourself. After all, this is Chanel.
Fall / Winter 2018 was taken quite literally when the Grand Palais was transformed into an optical illusion. Surrounded by seemingly endless trees, the forest imagined by Karl Lagerfeld was bright, alluring, and enchanting. The room was scattered with brown leaves and moss, a line of bare trees travelled down the long runway, and wood benches were carefully aligned from one end of the room to the other. An incomprehensible kind of exquisiteness - the set was truly a masterpiece. But then again, Chanel always is.
The first model glided through the leaves down the runway. With a charming smirk on her face, she wore a long black coat with gold glitter tights. Accessorized with mix-matched, chunky gold earrings, Oxford style-shoes, and a Gabrielle bag crossed over her body - she looked effortlessly chic.
An beguiling palette of earthy colours; brown, green, blue, beige, and black (lots of black) evoked the bareness and decay of Autumn. Pops of pink and royal blue were depicted on the runway, as if to bring touches of life back to the barren aesthetic. Leafy motifs were seen on fitted, blazer-like dresses, flared, button down coats, matching two-pieces, and ankle-skimming skirts.
Classic Chanel tweed was displayed on countless pieces. Long, poncho-like dresses with a rustic-red collar paired with gold, thigh-high boots. A forest green jacket paired with a billowing, shiny skirt, accessorized with a gold, chain belt. Knee-length coats with prominent gold buttons, paired with matching, cropped trousers, accessorized with a black and white circle scarf. Tweed was everywhere, but the 83-piece collection featured various other enticing materials.
A white, satin blouse that featured a black, triangular detail was paired with copper, wide leg trousers and matching bronze oxfords. Lace, chiffon, and tulle black dresses were paired with striking fingerless gloves. Puffy, bomber jackets were draped over leather dresses. Fur capes with feather detailing over patterned, cowl-neck sweater dresses accessorized with long, beaded jewellery. Rouged shoulders and ruffled sleeves were also details often seen on a number of different pieces.
The collection flourished. The captivating array of pieces emanated a sense of melancholy, a feeling all too familiar when the season approaches. The beginning of the when the earth lay dormant and fallow, Autumn seized the end of something. Karl Lagerfeld perfectly depicted this through his pieces. "All those Autumn colours of browns and golds...I love an Indian summer," said Lagerfeld after his show. Chanel is always impressive, but this compilation was more modest and low-key compared to others. It was a cluster of understated extravagance. Chanel never fails to hit the nail on the head by combing the perfect mix of timeless elegance and innovative, modern femininity. This FW 2018 / 2019 collection was no exception to that.
By: Isabel de Carteret
