By Denise Dogan
After the death of Karl Lagerfeld last February whom was the creative director of Chanel for over 30 years, his successor Virginie Viard paid her respects to him by recreating his last show in a simpler form. The last Fall/Winter show by Chanel was created into a beautiful winter wonderland, one we will never forget. It was a gorgeous setting, and the unfortunate passing of Karl Lagerfeld left this lasting impression on us. This year, as Chanel was one of the last shows to close off Paris Fashion Week; Virginie ViardÔÇÖs first Fall/Winter line was definitely a success. Chanel recently has leaned more towards a winter feel line more than an autumn one. As the catwalk was set up as a winter wonderland in a much simpler form with mirrored floors, portraying importance on form and silhouette; Viard kept the classic monochrome look in this yearÔÇÖs line. We saw a lot of blacks and whites, and very limited amounts of colours. A few pastels of green and pink were added for affect but beside that the classic look was maintained. It seems a homage was paid to 1980ÔÇÖs Chanel fashion, and I think itÔÇÖs safe to say we absolutely love it.┬á
In paying homage to the 80ÔÇÖs we saw some iconic statement pieces to give off a 80ÔÇÖs feel. One of them being MadonnaÔÇÖs crucifixes, it was a big part of her fashion style and Chanel had them sewed onto a few knitwear. All of the outfits were styled with leather boots that came below the knee. The beautiful monochrome outfits were styled with golden jewellery and classic pearls. Quite a few modern trends were implemented in the returning vintage look; wide leg trousers with poppers and midi skirts with high thigh splits.
Chanel has always remained classic in their looks, and itÔÇÖs why they are admired. In the recent years, vintage Chanel has become extremely valuable, and Chanel used this to their advantage by bringing it back into fashion, therefore making it more accessible. The boucl├® jacket made a return in its original cropped version and even in an oversized style. Viard kept the classic Lagerfeld show and had a bombard of outfits walking down the runway, even in the threeÔÇÖs. This was refreshing to watch as it differs from the usual single models walking down in a single file. There seemed to be a sense of unity and sisterhood in the fact models walked in pairs or threeÔÇÖs. It was an accurate representation in the way friends walk side by side in the street, and Viard didnÔÇÖt miss in representing that. Chanel did an excellent job with closing off Paris Fashion Week.