Chanel pre-fall 2012

The annual Metiers d'Art collection salutes the hard-working, in-house, Chanel ateliers with a spectacle that throws caution to the wind, by way of extravagance. This is haute-couture in the hands of pre-fall.





We know that fashion often sees excess emphasised and drawn upon in times of economic hardship, to heighten that sense of escapist fantasy. But Karl Lagerfeld amplifies this further, letting it teeter on the edge of novelty-but only just.


"The crisis shouldn't be over-emphasised," says Karl Lagerfeld. "People have always responded to difficulty by dressing up in jewels. Anyway, who are these bureaucrats who decide whether we're triple A-rated?"


It was with his own exclusive hold on dystopia that Lagerfeld conjured up India... in Paris... realised by a German. Although, the designer himself admits that he's never even been to India "It's much more inspiring not to go to places than to go," Sometimes fantasy is better than reality.


Nevertheless, Paris-Bombay explored the vast offerings of India- from the palatial grandeur of the Raj, to the Beatles meditating in Rishikesh with John Lennon's Twisted Karma playing in the background. Models were draped in lavish saris, dense with embroidery, wearing jewels, bindis and nose-rings. The men were turbaned Maharajas with layers of rich toned fabrics slung around them. 



With many designer's outsourcing to the east for cheaper manufacturing, Lagerfeld created authentic Indian designs at home in Paris; witty, but paying homage to the hard work on both sides. 


Gold lame, metallic prints and mismatched handmade textures looked like the interior of an opulent palace and complemented the banquet setting. A huge dining table ran alongside the catwalk, piled with luxuries pastries and guava juice for the audience to enjoy. 

Paris, however, was held onto with a fine silhouette, and of course the tweeds. Splashed between vibrant hues, Karl opted for signature monochrome to let modernity brush against the historically rich notion of India.

Like the Paris Byzantine collection of last year, you become enveloped by the theme and by loosening its grip on authenticity, Lagerfeld lets you find your imagination in there somewhere, alongside his. Sometimes fantasy is better than reality.