Coco's Shanghai dream comes true
By Xia Ruirui and Fei Lai |
December 6, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
"I always dreamed to be in Shanghai!" That's what the fashion legend Coco Chanel told everybody through big electronic screens at an upmarket stage along Shanghai's Bund on Thursday night.
As a prelude to Chanel's "Paris Shanghai" fashion show, a short-film "Paris Shanghai, A Fantasy" - written and directed by Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion house's head designer and creative director - told the story of Coco Chanel's imagined voyage to China. As the elegant woman showed up in different eras of Shanghai, the audience laughed and applauded the plot and humorous dialogue.
Following in Coco's "steps," super models dressed in the latest collection created exclusively by Lagerfeld for a new Chanel boutique store in Shanghai, strolled onto a brilliant catwalk beside the skyline of Pudong's landmark buildings, bringing an unforgettable experience of true French luxury to over 800 guests.
With the Oriental Pear TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower and other skyscrapers making a backdrop, the high-end fashion was shown off in an enclosed structure built on an 85-meter-long barge on the Huangpu River.
The panoramic view of Pudong's skyline was unveiled to audiences through a PVC crystal window 70 meters long and it took eight people in constant surveillance of the anchors to ensure the barge didn't move during the show due to the tide.
Drawing on inspiration from Coco's collection of Chinese art, Lagerfeld developed an exotic, fabulous scenario for the "Paris-Shanghai" line. "I've never been to Shanghai. The light at night in Shanghai is different from New York. What I like is difference. One can take inspiration from every city and country," said Lagerfeld in a pre-show interview, adding "opening a new boutique in Shanghai is exciting. Chanel is fashion for women all over the world."
The "Terracotta Army" line in the collection features the urban romanticism of Chinese cinema, the glittering chic of the 1930s and the opulence of the imperial court. The slim sleeves hint at the shape of pagodas, the waist is small and slightly structured, and the ruffles build up over one another.
In black, red, khaki and midnight blue, the high-collared suits and richly embroidered fitted coats with fur-decorated sleeves reflect a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) style.
The knitwear with raised patterns and tunics inspired by the traditional qipao gown give structure to shoulders and slim the waist. In addition, accessories such as long earrings and large pointed hats helped to frame the models' faces.
Necklaces, brooches and cuff bracelets abound, bringing together pearls, coins and stones with opulence.
On feet, we see delicate ballerina flats with a strap and aged cork sole, leather boots and others in embroidered felt reaching the thigh, and precious sandals with sculpted heels.
Bags, whether embroidered, sequined, in lambskin or in satin, are reinvented in a multitude of colors to create a fantasy.
"It's polite to make something for Chinese. Red is fresh and new for me," Lagerfeld explained. That's true. A fusion of East and West, the "Paris Shanghai" collection is when he brings Coco's dream to life.
As a prelude to Chanel's "Paris Shanghai" fashion show, a short-film "Paris Shanghai, A Fantasy" - written and directed by Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion house's head designer and creative director - told the story of Coco Chanel's imagined voyage to China. As the elegant woman showed up in different eras of Shanghai, the audience laughed and applauded the plot and humorous dialogue.
Following in Coco's "steps," super models dressed in the latest collection created exclusively by Lagerfeld for a new Chanel boutique store in Shanghai, strolled onto a brilliant catwalk beside the skyline of Pudong's landmark buildings, bringing an unforgettable experience of true French luxury to over 800 guests.
With the Oriental Pear TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower and other skyscrapers making a backdrop, the high-end fashion was shown off in an enclosed structure built on an 85-meter-long barge on the Huangpu River.
The panoramic view of Pudong's skyline was unveiled to audiences through a PVC crystal window 70 meters long and it took eight people in constant surveillance of the anchors to ensure the barge didn't move during the show due to the tide.
Drawing on inspiration from Coco's collection of Chinese art, Lagerfeld developed an exotic, fabulous scenario for the "Paris-Shanghai" line. "I've never been to Shanghai. The light at night in Shanghai is different from New York. What I like is difference. One can take inspiration from every city and country," said Lagerfeld in a pre-show interview, adding "opening a new boutique in Shanghai is exciting. Chanel is fashion for women all over the world."
The "Terracotta Army" line in the collection features the urban romanticism of Chinese cinema, the glittering chic of the 1930s and the opulence of the imperial court. The slim sleeves hint at the shape of pagodas, the waist is small and slightly structured, and the ruffles build up over one another.
In black, red, khaki and midnight blue, the high-collared suits and richly embroidered fitted coats with fur-decorated sleeves reflect a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) style.
The knitwear with raised patterns and tunics inspired by the traditional qipao gown give structure to shoulders and slim the waist. In addition, accessories such as long earrings and large pointed hats helped to frame the models' faces.
Necklaces, brooches and cuff bracelets abound, bringing together pearls, coins and stones with opulence.
On feet, we see delicate ballerina flats with a strap and aged cork sole, leather boots and others in embroidered felt reaching the thigh, and precious sandals with sculpted heels.
Bags, whether embroidered, sequined, in lambskin or in satin, are reinvented in a multitude of colors to create a fantasy.
"It's polite to make something for Chinese. Red is fresh and new for me," Lagerfeld explained. That's true. A fusion of East and West, the "Paris Shanghai" collection is when he brings Coco's dream to life.
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