Chanel is a brand that marches to the beat of its own drum. Maybe that’s the biggest legacy Karl Lagerfeld has left. Invention of the mega show, check, traveling the globe with cruise, check, doing six collections a year, check, buying Haute Couture suppliers, check, putting men in women’s shows, check, establishing long lasting relationships with brand ambassadors like Pharrell Williams, check, not trusting e-commerce so easily, check, and suing people for trademark infringement, well, check as well. While the Grand Palais is buried under scaffolding where Chanel usually holds its shows, the company pulled off another feat. The Palais Galliera, Paris’ very own fashion museum currently holds a Gabrielle Chanel exhibition and Virginie Viard chose the beautiful Palais for her first live Haute Couture show in a year. In a way her new clothes were in direct dialogue with Chanel’s archive clothes from the exhibition. And that’s just how this heritage minded house likes it to stay at the very top of the fashion pyramid.  The fact that Virginie Viard continues to leave her more feminine imprint with sexy boudoir pastel numbers just further adds to the story.

Where it all began?

Probably while working on the exhibition, Viard uncovered some portraits of Coco Chanel dressed up in black or white 1880s style dresses that became the foundation of the collection. The impressionist period defined by artists like Berthe Morisot or Édouard Manet found their highlight in look Nr. 34, an arch elegant bustier dress with a panel skirt.

The details?

Our friend Christelle Kocher who oversees the studios of the feather and flower maker Lemarie tended to look Nr. 21’s gardenia cardigan jacket made from feather strands that took more than 2000 hours of handiwork.

One cannot escape the feeling?

That Viard is not taking huge fashion risks but she is modernizing the house with her more practical flat footwear, her love for showing skin and general less strict architectural lines. While the silk boudoir numbers were not entirely convincing they added a breath of fresh air and wonderful color.