Chanel goes back to its roots at Paris Couture Fashion Week 2018

Natural elegance took centre stage at Chanel's SS18 couture show 
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Emma McCarthy23 January 2018

Chanel is as well-known for its blockbuster catwalk productions as it is tweed suits and quilted handbags.

But this morning in Paris, the world’s biggest superbrand - which has previously transformed the interior of the Grand Palais into an airport terminal and a Chanel-branded supermarket - chose to keep things relatively simple as guests took their seats in an intimate walled garden circling a fountain centrepiece.

Of course, this being couture - where garments can require weeks of painstaking labour and in excess of £10,000 to purchase - this was far from understated. Instead, this was a showcase in which Karl Lagerfeld sought to allow the clothes to be the star of their own show, rather than the second act.

As a result, haute tailoring and opulent gowns which mirrored their botanical surroundings in both freshness and natural elegance took centre stage.

AP

As is customary, the house’s signature boucle suits were first on the catwalk. In shades of periwinkle, leaf green and buttercup, Coco Chanel’s iconic jacket was reinterpreted with a cropped fit and exaggerated shoulders. Tweed city shorts and sportier split skirts completed the ensembles, while each look on the catwalk was also crowned with a bouquet-topped veil.

Splash News

And then came the gowns. Lagerfeld’s pick of the bunch for next season included rose satin styles with tulip-shaped skirts and short floral lace dresses overlaid with long embellished organza. Bodices also blossomed with sparkling floral crystals, while other skirts were pleated with the uniform precision of petals.

Getty Images

While Lagerfeld’s efforts to future-proof the label often rely on attracting a younger demographic with its ready-to-wear collections, this couture show served as a reminder that the designer - who revealed a new take on his iconic look by sporting a beard to take his bow - hasn’t forgotten the needs of the seasoned Chanel shopper too. They are, after all, the roots of the Chanel empire.

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