Chanel Pre-Fall 2015
In Austria, the hills are alive with the sound of music, but it’s also where Karl Lagerfeld grew up, took his first photographs and it’s where he took the Chanel Métiers d’Art collection for Pre-Fall 2015. Past collections have reflected the fashion and heritage of Edinburg, Dubai, Bombay and even Dallas (through the lens of Chanel, of course), but it was clear that the Salzburg collection was something near and dear to Lagerfeld’s heart. He brought the fashion set into the fairy tale castle that was the setting for the actual Sound of Music and presented a collection that drew on the heritage of Coco Chanel herself and the history and costume of Austria.
Chanel Pre-Fall 2015
Schloss Leopoldskron, a Baroque castle, was the setting. And inside the Rococo salons and winding hallways, the models walked in candlelight with gold-lidded eyes and clothes that bore the trademarks of the Chanel house. Lagerfeld uses his pre-collections to showcase the artistry and handiwork that atelier is known for, whether its intricate embroidery, new fabrications or haute joaillerie, and it all comes together in the locale that sparked Lagerfeld’s creativity. So while he’s all about pushing fashion forward during the usual Spring and Fall collections, he takes the time to celebrate the heritage of Chanel during these extravagant outings. And Austria, with its lederhosen, edelweiss embroideries and military influence, inspired a collection that drew from both the history of Chanel and Lagerfeld himself.
The boxy, four-pocketed jacket that Coco made her signature was actually inspired by the uniform of a hotel employee in Salzburg’s Mittersill Hotel and there were plenty of those to be seen. They were rimmed in chain — a house signature if there ever was one — and decorated with gilt flowers and more. The military touches came through in epaulettes and touches of loden green and the millefeuille gowns (including Cara Delevingne’s closing wedding dress) delicately swayed like snow falling on the alps.
Chanel Pre-Fall 2015
In addition to the show, Lagerfeld also premiered a short film he directed starring Pharrell and Delevingne which brought the history of the little black jacket to life along with a new song penned by the singer, who acted as the reincarnated form of Emperor Franz Joseph to Delevingne’s Empress Elisabeth “Sissy” of Austria (“CC” goes the chorus of the tune). And while the ribbon details and ruffles of traditional Austrian dress were used throughout, Lagerfeld modernized them with the addition of short skirts and biker shorts as well as using leather — the leder in lederhosen — in unexpected ways. What looked like headphones were actually Heidi braids coiled to look like audio gear and all species of flowers, animals and more were embroidered on bags and blouses. It was a fantasia that brought the Chanel standards to the forefront with tweaks that made them seem fresh again — just the thing to get girls clamoring for the CC all over again.
Images courtesy Style
