Quicksilver

Karl (l) and Armani (r) in cahoots.

I'm always a little suspect when more than one designer at a time is suddenly struck with a concurrent aesthetic revelation. This couture season has seen both Armani and Kaiser Karl take pretty drastic turns toward looks that aren't usually part of their output. The two showed collections based on silver tones; Armani stated the moon as inspiration and Lagerfeld abandoned his usual palette of black, white, and Chanel Gold for silver embellished pastels. Now, to be fair this could all be truth, but part of me wishes to expose to my audience a little known aspect of the fashion business: Trend forecasting firms.

Trendspotting: shimmering legs at Armani and Chanel.

Fashion in this capitalist society is first and foremost a business. It is a big business, a huge business. A massive business that fulfills one of the human population's three basic needs (food, shelter, and clothing). As such, there is a major motivation to keep product moving. Now more than ever fashion's fickle, fleeting attention span pushes anyone who cares to be socially accepted to buy new things so that they are on trend. And, those trends don't come from just anywhere. Trends in fashion are forecasted by huge firms whose job it is to do nothing else. They analyze data, form theories, and present evidence for what will tingle the senses of the stylish next. Nearly every single fashion house of note and large clothing retailer subscribes to their services. That is how there are these waves of seemingly divined similarities between any given season's shows. If the big trend companies say wrap dresses are next, or sky-high stilettos, or, perhaps, silvery moon tones then you are bound to see them surface on nearly all of the catwalks.

Call Vogue and tell them it's silver this season! Wait, they probably already know...

It's fine. Trend forecasting on a certain level just takes the temperature of the stylish. But, I do get a little vexed when designers play it off as their own flashes of brilliance, their own sudden revelations. Karl, did you and Giorgio have a sleepover the night you woke up stunned by the thought of silver in your head? I didn't think so.

Making Magic.

I remember this Chanel commercial from 1992 like it was yesterday. Clear as day, there's Vanessa Paradis swinging, free as a bird, in a golden cage:



And here is how they made it. If you understand French, perfect, if you don't? Even better. Let the language lull you into the lovely space of the visuals.



Wonderful, right?

CC'd

I was waiting for a friend near Wall Street the other day and I saw a guy (hip, late twenties, skinny) with a double C Chanel logo tattooed on his hand. Now, I'm gearing up to start a photography project where I take more photos of people, and I thought you guys might like to see his fashion devotee perma-stamp, so I politely asked him if I could take a pic of his couture ink. He looked at me and said, "No. I can't do that. It's private." Now, I'm all good when it comes to respecting the wishes of possible subjects for my photographs (I've learned my lesson), but I couldn't for the life of me understand how an inch x inch Chanel logo tattooed and on clear display on the upside of this guy's hand was "private". I walked away determined to investigate the matter. Is a Chanel tattoo the mark of some kind of underground cult? A political statement so radical that it could get this man deported if his hand were ever identified by a peruser of my blog? So far I haven't found any good evidence for a Chanel cult, outside of the cult of advertising. But, if the guy is in some radical underground fashion logo movement, then he's got company. I cannot believe how many CC tattoos there are on the Internets.

Now, we actually may be able to blame the house of Chanel and Kaiser Karl himself for this trend taking off. A recent ad campaign for the brand's eyeglass collection prominently featured a model decked in nothing but specs and a CC tat. And, this season's runway show saw models sporting logo and chain tattoos. The difference? Those are FAKE! Probably a good idea.

The eyewear ads.

Models at the SS2010 Chanel show sported RUB ON logo tattoos. Probably a smarter idea than those permanent ones...

Karl, your power over the masses is quite something.

All photos found in a Google Image search for Chanel tattoos.

Watch It Happen.

One of my favorite Youtube genres is that of the video filmed photo shoot. There is something so strangely intriguing about watching still images get made. The video below is of Karl Lagerfeld shooting Lara Stone and a male model and a bunch of Chanel gear in a dressing room. Some of the shoot is so awkward to watch, while other moments of it show Karl's visual genius.



Modeling is a kind of acting for flashbulbs, it's interesting to see what gets mimed, what gets barley done, kind of like watching someone speak sign language. Movements and poses are gestural and heightened. It's all very theater of the absurd. Enjoy.

Stay Inside The Lines.

There is something so beautiful about these backstage photos of Peter Phillips' cat eyes for yesterday's Chanel couture show in progress.

It's like coloring. Inside the lines, of course.

Photos by Luca Cannonieri / Gorunway.com via Style.com

He Rocks The Paper And Scissors

In couture there is this paper thin line to be walked between spectacle and serenity, between indulgence and restraint, between luxury and elegance. The ability to tread that thread of a line is what separates the brilliant from the rest. It is the same process in any successful artwork: make something beautiful, make it interesting, push some boundaries, and reach a level of newness that creates space and thought. Do it all in a way that makes the finished product look effortless and simple; natural and approachable, yet impeccable.

Karl Lagerfeld's collections for Chanel couture do that. They do that thing that makes even the most classic, time-proven shapes and pieces come alive anew again season after season. In pop culture terms, he keeps a storied house's main lineage visible enough to qualify as timeless, but makes it innovative and fresh enough to slide right onto the backs of the hottest young things in the flashbulb saturated entertainment world. He's got the game down and he manages to draft the most brilliant players onto his team. Aside from his uber-talented seamstresses, for this spin around the fashion wheel Karl worked with Katsuya Kamo, the genius hair and makeup designer who's creations are unparalleled in their power to turn simple materials into beauty.

For his collaboration with Chanel this season, Kamo's team took scissors to paper and snipped, cut, and shaped the simple raw material into blooms, thorns, twists, spikes and poufs of headdresses and set decor. The results are gorgeous and compliment the seamstresses' craftwork completely. Well done.

Photos by Alessandro Lucioni/ Imax Tree (full images), and Mateo Volta/ Imax Tree (details) via Style.com

When Karl Stops Being Polite, And Starts Getting Real!

Ok, in all honesty I don't know if Karl Lagerfeld could ever have been described as the "polite" type, but a few years back he put himself in the reality television fish bowl. He let cameras into the Chanel operation to witness the creation of a collection from sketch to finish. So, screw the The Real World: Brooklyn and its tired, rehashed plot lines and watch friggin' incredible seamstresses whip up perfect couture on ever-present deadlines under Karl's exacting supervision. It is all much more fun than another go in the hot tub with some token twentysomethings. There were five episodes of Signe Chanel, and they are all available on YouTube. Here's the first part of the first episode, "Anticipation."

Each of the episodes are in four parts. Start with one and I think you will be hooked, just like I am. My favorite part is that the show, at least in the beginning, focuses mostly on the seamstresses. They are wonderful. Real women, with real talent. They are a demographic you never see in today's hyper-ageist, oversexified "reality" programming. And, better yet, they are the bread and butter of the whole super-chic operation. Watching them translate Karl's off the cuff sketches into full-fledged designs is fascinating. I call for a Chanel Channel starring them 24/7. I love them.

Ed. Note: Do yourself a favor and do not miss episode 3, "Rituals." You haven't lived until you've seen a 75 year-old woman making braid by hand on a loom she built herself in 1947.

Good Work, Gunshoe!

Miss Misshapes herself, and fellow Jersey Girl, Leigh Lezark (pictured above left with Parissienne rapstress Uffie) showed up to the Paris Chanel show wearing the house's gun-heeled heels from their Resort '09 collection.


Pumps that could pump you full of lead? I love a little danger with my fashion. Lagerfeld, Karl Lagerfeld does his best Bond impression with the sly stiletto below.

Don't mess with the well dressed.

Images (top to bottom): handbag.com, jakandjil.com, Shoewawa.com

Karl's Got a Brand New Bag

When times get tough, only the clever will survive. Everyone in fashion knows that accessories are where the cash is, and most literally the cash is in the handbags. Runaway bags have been runway to retail deal makers for the past few seasons, replacing the must have dress with the must have tote. While the saturation of the IT bag has begun to push the hype into the over territory, there are still plenty of pretty young (and old) things that will pay a gorgeous penny for a great bag. Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to reinvent the Chanel bag with enough newness to stir want in the hearts of many. Karl turned the classic bags on their sides, hanging the quilted sacs vertically from their signature chains. He also crafted copies of the Chanel retail shopping bags in leather. This way you can postpone your buyer's remorse indefinitely, ever tricking yourself into believing your purchase is fresh from the store. Clever, clever Karl.

And if I had a king's ransom to drop on a bag of my choice, I think I'd go with the quilted Chanel guitar bag. Now, I don't play guitar but I could pretend to, and it would certainly fit everything I could possibly ever think to bring anywhere. I guarantee you see someone pick this to be their purse of the season.

I'd rock that rockin' bag.

Images: Matteo Volta for Style.com

BBD

I don't know how Coco and Audrey would feel about this, but BCBG Max Azria introduces the Baggy Black Dress.

I like it, looks comfy.

Pretty safe.

While I was busy eating hummus in the holy land, the Spring '09 fashion jet took off. I've been catching up on the shows for the last few days while trying to avoid unpacking (as I find that's the quickest way to lose my vacation buzz) and I must admit I might have preferred sorting my dusty desert laundry.

I started with the Women's Couture shows, and honestly I'm not so thrilled. There are a lot of pretty things, but nothing is jumping out at me. As always, there are beautifully constructed garments: amazing draping, tailoring, seaming. I'm just not finding any collection that inspiring or strong. I really loved the last batch of ready-to-wear collections, with their fresh patchwork-pastiche aesthetic so I'm disappointed to be goosebumpless after perusing the couture shows which usually thrill me to no end.

I can't help but think things are looking a bit safe. Even Galliano pulled in the reigns a bit, presenting some very classically Christian Dior get-ups.



Again, pretty and incredibly well constructed but not so exciting. Can we blame the economy? I say so. Even the world of $30,000 dresses gets timid in the face of a downturn.

The season isn't a total loss though. There is nothing like couture to prove that God is in the details. Check out these beautiful tight shots courtesy of Style.com:




Chanel seams, tubes and flowers.


Lacroix's red ruffles and clothing collage.


Hot orange peek-a-boo at Gaultier.

More coverage to come, including the old people trend and the Weird Wears Awards! Yee haw.