CHANEL Spring 2014

When it comes to grandiose PFW events, nothing quite compares to a Chanel show. Who but Karl Lagerfeld could send nearly 90 looks down a runway and still leave his audience wanting more? Lagerfeld’s spring theme centered around modern art and the parallels between the fashion and art scenes. Given the manner in which both worlds have merged recently – the VIPs of the front row are often the same faces spotted at Art Basel – the topic felt timely. Lagerfeld served up a cheeky twist on art commercialization via a faux gallery setting complete with Chanel-ified versions of contemporary art world darlings.

Dazzling set pieces aside the real story revolved around the clothes. You can always expect to see certain house staples on the runway at Chanel, but the fun lies in noting how they’ve been updated for the moment. The ubiquitous tweed suit loses its sleeves and becomes an almost sporty boucle dress, the layers of pearls are replaced with a single giant pearlescent bubble affixed to gold cuffs or necklaces. New touches like pleated culottes, oversized denim vests and smart shoulder baring jackets provided excitement while a segment full of fringed and transparent detailing captured two of the season’s top trends.Though Lagerfeld has never been one to shy away from an obtuse reference point, this collection was at its finest when it took things literally. It doesn’t get artier than Marlon Teixeira emerging on the runway holding paintbrushes in one hand and a canvas in another. As the prerequisite fantasy artiste, Teixeira ushered in a sea of muses clad in dresses and separates that would make the color crew at Pantone envious. These paint swatch pieces, particularly the finale frocks on Lindsey Wixson and Devon Windsor, were standouts not just of the Chanel show, but of the entire SS14 season.

Text by Janelle Okwodu
Photos by Stephan Moskovic

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