Monday, December 12, 2011

French Indian Flair, Done The Chanel Way

Chanel 
Pre-Fall Collection 2012

From the chic streets of Paris to exotic India, Karl Lagerfeld takes us on an intercontinental voyage for Pre-Fall 2012. His Paris-Bombay inspired collection is a collision of French tailoring and Indian intricacies. The result? Pure, over-the-top opulence.


The quintessential Chanel emblems are all there, albeit not as conspicuous as we're used to seeing. The impeccably fit pants, traces of tweed, boxy shapes, braided trims, the black and ivory palette, rows of pearls and the classic skirt and coat combination. Lagerfeld has an ingenious way to breathing new life into the established Chanel prototype.

Fur-edged coats in rich brocade are sumptuously paired with velvet and lamé. Indian-styled churidar (narrow) pants are a prominent feature in this collection. Flat footwear and bejeweled chappals (sandals) kept within character of the Eastern theme.

The colour scheme varied slightly from it's neutral foundation, pigmented by shades of ruby red, deep burgundy, magenta and neon pink. Lagerfeld didn't stray too far from the fundamentals of Indian fashion; which are intricate embellishings and traditional silhouettes. He's used the layering of dresses over narrow pants to his full advantage. It's a concept he's used, (perhaps overused) throughout this collection.

  Lagerfeld puts a modern spin on imperial Indian designs with Eurocentric flair. He chose metallics tones such as bronze, pewter, platinum, silver and gold to convey the luxury element of the range. The models wore their hair in pinned-up dreadlocks, adorned with bejeweled tikka headpieces.


This range of evening wear shows Lagerfeld's ability to reinterpret the worn-out idea of a 'glamorous gown'. Instead of the expected strapless, mermaid or ballgown styles, he gives us modest designs elevated by rich embroidery & crystal beading, all laid upon exquisite fabrics. 


Polished ivory silk proved its adaptability, being draped into tulip skirts, & then molded to form sleek Nehru coats. I found this section to be the calm after the lavish storm of looks shown before. The second last dress & the blue one above are my favourites from the range.


With a collection that exudes this much grandeur, it's saving grace lies in the individual pieces. Most of them can be worn as separates. Otherwise, I could only imagine these elaborate ensembles being suited for a high tea at the Taj Mahal, in 1658. But take away the excessive styling, Medusa-like hairstyles and ornate jewellery, and you would have some red-carpet worthy looks. I get that these outfits are not to everyone's taste, but hats off to Mr Lagerfeld for transporting us to a world where Indian custom meets French couture, the Chanel way.  

34 comments:

little luxury list said...

I totally loved this collect - the draping and rich colors and embroidery were phenomenal!

xoxo,
Chic 'n Cheap Living

Alena: Oh, Its Just Perfect! said...

So, so, so gorgeous!! I love the metallics and all the jewels. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Macherie said...

the prints are so gorgeous! I love this trend! have a nice weekend

Kassi said...

Chanel always takes my breath away. Their styling on this collection is insane - in a good way!

http://theclosetintervention.blogspot.com/

Katherine said...

This was such an amazing collection! All the photos are gorgeous...

Purvi said...

I am an Indian so I will give loads of brownie points to this collection :) :)
anyways I agree that if the excess drama is taken out of the collection then these actually are great especially for the red carpet look :)

Bailey Schneider said...

Oh I love these looks! Just gorgeous ;)
Much love, Bailey from Vanilla Blonde

Nicole said...

Some really great pieces there!

BROKEN.WHIMSY said...

What a succinct review hun. Well done. I agree sumptuousness in fabrics is almost as important as the design when you're trying to emote with another cultures' heritage. Karl has certainly done this here ^_^

Eeli

A Daft Scots Lass said...

Stunningly gorgeous!

Unknown said...

As far as I know it's only available in Germany, Austria and Croatia. I hope they will get an online shop soon, I'm addicted to the products haha!
Thanks for following me, I'm following you back on bloglovin'.

I love this Chanel collection!

Denise said...

They are totally totally totally my taste! Since I was 18 I wear Indian clothes! And I will go on wearing this style, cause I love it! And not only clothes, my flat also shows Indian style in its decoration! I think I showed how much a fan of this collection I am then... looooovely! Absolutely gorgeous - unfortunately, I have to adapt the collection, cause this is pricey!

Rakhshan said...

you're right some of these pieces are exotic, and would look gorgeous if worn on their own!! i love the east/west blend! stunning collection x

Fictitious Fashion said...

I had seen it in newspaper.. M so proud to be an indian.. true.. even the not so rich indians sure got style ;)
n it is affordable fashion too! :)


New post
Love
Akanksha

Unknown said...

Incredible collection! I love how the Indian inspiration is so present in all of them.

About your comment- charity shopped is thrifted, so you buy it from a shop where the proceeds go to charity, so it isn't the same as vintage. Although there are vintage charity shops. Hope that helps!

www.styleisalwaysfashionable.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Hi Sam,
Great post!
Today we begin a CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY on our blog.
www.tuestiloadiario.blogspot.com
xoxo

Always Unlucky said...

awesome! loving your blog, so keep it up and i'll be back!

From Computer Addict

Sandy at Ooh La Frou Frou said...

Haute couture with an Indian vibe ... wow! Thanks for sharing the fabulous images! Hope your holiday season is wonderful!

Sandy at Ooh La Frou Frou
http://oohlafroufrou.blogspot.com
This Week: "It's Christmas Time in the City" with free downloadable holiday gift tags embellished with my illustration of a NY taxi filled with gifts ;)

Carmen said...

gorgeous images handsome and very Merry Christmas!

Rahul Bhatia said...

Such lovely collections from the great Karl Lagerfield! For a change can see something more familiar and closer home!!:) Lovely post as usual Sam!

Jenna Hughes said...

omg Chanel! Karl has done it again. I love all the metallics, layers, and buttons

http://underthefluorescents.blogspot.com

Style Servings said...

Such a beautiful collection, love the colour scheme!

http://styleservings.blogspot.com/

Alexandra said...

This was actually one of my favourite Chanel collections. Apparently Coco was really inspired by India so Karl was trying to bring some of those inspirations back to life. Such beautiful tailoring and detail work!

Alexandra xo

http://tovogueorbust.com/

Fabrizia Spinelli said...

This post is really nice, I enjoied it so much! Wonderful selection!

Take a look and maybe follow each others?: Cosa mi metto???

dian ajeng maharani said...

hi sweetie,
great post! omg Chanel collections are to die for. gorgeous!
kisses

world on high heels said...

amazing collection !

Daniella said...

I could sit and stare at this post all day!!! So much beautiful detailing,layering and texture. Love this :) And you have explained it beautifully :)

Take care,Daniella xox

Grace (The Stripe) said...

Oh my - I want ALL of it... amazing!

Jessi said...

Great post, loved the whole clean and luxurious feel of the show. Beautiful colours and draping of the clothes, gorgeous!

james said...

the last set.. the whites? i wonder what i'd have to do to get them into my closet! thanks for sharing!!

love, jamie
@jamielechic

hope in high heels said...

Impeccable as usual... the colours and textures are amazing. the ivory is hands down my absolute favourite!

www.hopeinhighheels.com

Grace said...

Wow, these looks are amazing! Thanks for sharing!
- Grace

www.wrinkledchiffon.com

Lakhi said...

Really nice collection!!

Miu said...

I like this collection!