Last October Karl Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais into a spectacularly realist waterfall and sent his girls down the CHANEL runway decked out in iridescent pastel tweeds and luminous transparent shields. Wonderment at whether Lagerfeld was hinting at the state of our climate by erecting a “natural” environment probably done up with heaps of heavy-duty concrete and meticulous wiring behind the scenes was unanimously overcome by the sheer beauty of his SS18 collection.
Sunlight from that Parisian daytime reflected off the model’s outfits so they looked more like mythical sprites emerging from a cave located by a distant coast miles away from human contact, and the breeze generated from the gushing of water served a clever reminder that we should go out and smell the roses more often.
If you’ve hunted down CHANEL’s Cruise 18 togas and greek-chic ornaments, even booked a flight straight to its “Mademoiselle Privé” exhibition in Hong Kong this January-February, these elevated Jumanji-wear are right up your alley.
What’s a CHANEL show without a display of some of the most drop-dead gorgeous handbags? In line with Lagerfeld’s vision of the season, there are re-imagined classics like the Gabrielle and BOY constructed with transparent PVC and rubber canvases dyed in luminous in-between shades to achieve the aesthetic multidimensionality of an ocean’s refracted waves. These materials have also been thinned thread-like and “needled” to mimic the tweed fabric iconic to the CHANEL brand. The piece de resistance of the bags has to be the ultraviolet BOY with turquoise trimming, which disclaimer!: no mermaids were harmed in the process of making it.
The girls also featured a range of clear raincoat boots heeled and riding up at various heights accented white or black that would be great for keeping dry treading through rainy New York or London without missing out on feminine sex appeal unavailable with other practical options like Uggs or Doc Martens. For a more unisex option, this court sneaker embossed with CHANEL’s double C’s have peeking transparent PVC panels to reveal funky socks underneath should you choose to rock a pair of them.
Of course, rain doesn’t come from the ground-up. Even if you’ve your precious feet covered, you’ll still need some protective headgear to shield your fresh perm from drenching and plastering to your mascara-drooling face. These 90’s hats reminiscent of those from Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s wardrobe have been taken in at the brims and given a makeover to match the boots of the collection. If hats fly off in a storm, this hood will secure even your neck and shoulders from a drip of rain!
After the rain shines a rainbow, and these CHANEL SS18 jewellery reflect that literally and figuratively. Inspired by the pearls of spring water and the treasures of the deepest sea, these sparkly beauties come in an assortment of silhouettes and tones that captures all the eccentricities of even the most esteemed CHANEL collector. Personally, we’re taking to this sunshine yellow and peach pink resin bracelet with encrusted strass double C’s — it’s like the dawn of a fruitful day’s been captured in a single accessory.
The #CHANELSpringSummer 18 collection launches in Singapore boutiques mid-march.
You must be logged in to post a comment.