CHANEL Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-16

This past Tuesday, July 7th, the Grand Palais in Paris was transformed into an actual working casino, creating a lavish backdrop for the CHANEL Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 collection. Drawing inspiration from jewelry sketches drawn in the 30’s by Paul Iribe (one of Coco Chanel’s boyfriends) stored in the CHANEL archives, Karl Lagerfeld created incredible pieces literally dripping with diamonds that adorned some of his closest celebrity-muses, namely Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Vanessa Paradis with daughter Lily-Rose Depp (yes, Johnny Depp is her father), Lily Allen, Geraldine Chapman and newcomer Rita Ora, to name but a few. After taking a turn on the catwalk, the stars then retired to the two centre-stage roulette tables where they continued to play as the show’s models then began to strut their stuff. In an interview after the show, Karl Lagerfeld stated that he was inspired by the fantasy image of elegant and glamorous women attending a casino, although the reality is that he personally hates gambling.

Using a Selective Laser Sintering machine, technology that could never have even been previously imagined, the runway pieces were literally spun from powder using a high-powered laser, which in turn created the clothing in 3D form. In fact, clients ordering any of the items from the show would need to have their body scanned in order to produce the piece.

The iconic CHANEL tweed suit was given a modern new look via a boxier silhouette and exaggerated shoulders. Some gowns displayed over 1 million hand-sown beads, while dreamy feathers wafted in the breeze on other pieces. One spectacular coat was swathed in layer upon layer of hand-shredded chiffon blooms, and there was no shortage of gossamer fine silk tulle. While no handbags made an appearance, shoes were either black or off-white, in a shape that was reminiscent of tuxedo lapels.

To compliment the runway creations, makeup artist Tom Pecheux created a look that focused on flawless skin, heavy brows, intense blush to carve out the cheekbones in shades that alternated between high-voltage fuchsia or a more subdued rosewood, with lips matching the blush colour. For hair, celebrity hairstylist Sam McKnight created sharply defined and angled brunette bobbed wigs, leaving some of the models own hair visible at both the front and nape of the neck. Nails were almond shaped and kept graphically simple: an edgier take on the classic French mani, with black tips on a stark white base.

Closing the show, Karl Lagerfeld’s latest star – Kendall Jenner – wore a creamy white double-breasted pantsuit in lieu of the more traditional bridal gown, complete with a luxurious tulle veil and train.

My bet: the house always wins … in this case, the House of CHANEL.