Paris Fashion Week: Karl Lagerfeld pushes his controversial food views aside as he puts on catwalk show in Parisian eatery

The designer is renowned for his eye-catching and entertaining runways
Decadence: models sat on bar-stools sipping drinks and delicately nibbling pastries
Picture: David Fisher/Rex
Karen Dacre16 March 2015

He's the diet coke obsessed designer who famously said that "fashion is the healthiest motivation for losing weight" but Karl Lagerfeld pushed his views on food to the side of the plate to stage a catwalk show in a make-shift Parisian eatery.

Guests, who were served cappuccinos and glasses of champagne ahead of the show, nibbled olives from tables adorned with white table cloths as Lagerfeld unveiled his collection.

The chic café, named Brasserie Chanel after Chanel founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, served as a fitting backdrop to a show in which Lagerfeld sought to celebrate the essence of Parisian style.

The tiled auditorium bore a resemblance to Parisian hangout Café Flore. Situated within Paris's Grand Palais, a venue Lagerfeld has previously transformed into a whole host of spectacular scenes including a supermarket fully stocked with Chanel produce, the brasserie was staffed by a host of waiters who wore black bow-ties and aprons.

Chanel at Paris Fashion Week AW15

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Lagerfeld, who played the role maitre d' effortlessly, directed models clad in the label's autumn/winter collection to tables. Some snapped selfies while they sat on bar-stools others sipped coffee and delicately nibbled baguettes.

As has become common practice at Chanel shows, the clothes were the second act. Sticking to his tried and tested formula, Lagerfeld, who has been designing for Chanel since 1983, unveiled boucle suits first and his eveningwear second. A reinterpretation of the house's most iconic signature, a plaid wool suit, saw neatly fitted jackets become a focus.

Updated for the contemporary Chanel customer, they came adorned with leather and PVC origami embellishment. Toying with texture throughout, dogstooth, tweed and herringbone served as a foundation for loosely fitting pencil skirts.

A series of oversized parkas gave the show its injection of modernity. Clearly keen to expand on its status as the go-to brand for signature dresses, Chanel promised a renewed affection for separates. Roll neck knits, worn under blouson sleeve coats in herringbone, were among the most beautiful additions. A quilted anorak adorned with beads and modelled by Cara Delevingne also stood out.

Returning to the brasserie metaphor, Lagerfeld also included wrap around apron skirts and peter-pan collars resembling those worn by the chicest of Parisian waiting staff.

For evening, the designer unveiled shredded feather skirts which were detailed with intricate pearl beading work. A series of geometric shift-dresses presented over the top of crisp white shirts lent a sense of glamour.

At its core this collection was all about celebrating French femininity. Lady-like but never sickeningly so, it sought to fuse Chanel classics with a more functional approach to fashion.

It was an aesthetic of which Coco Chanel would have approved and of course, it was very French.

The unfaltering Gallic design sensitivity at work within Chanel, a brand recently valued at $7billion, has long been considered the secret of it's success. But the house, which has enjoyed major successes in emerging markets across the world in recent years, is an international super force.

To this end, this was a carefully curated offering which will delight Chanel fans from Delhi to Delaware with the brand's accessory remit for next season it's most lucrative inclusion. Luxury shoppers will have their sights firmly set on Lagerfeld's origami pvc shoulder bag. A pair of two-tone slingbacks discreetly adorned with Chanel's signature double C logo also looked set to whet appetites among super fans.

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