BANG BANG, KARL DID IT AGAIN

To the question of why Chanel has been the ultimate name in fashion for decades, there are many answers to consider, but one of the reasons is the masterful way in which the French fashion house continually reinvents itself without losing sight of its foundation.

One way to secure that foundation is that Chanel has been purchasing old artisanal companies for some time, such as the Scottish cashmere producer Barry Knitwear, the French glove manufacturer Causse, and recently the renowned tannery Bordin-Joyeux. Chanel celebrates these old crafts with their Métier D’art shows, the latest of which took place last night in Dallas, Texas. A remarkable location for a presentation from the French fashion house, you might think, but Dallas was the city where Coco Chanel's first post-war collection was warmly received by department store Neiman Marcus, while it was being dismissed in France.

Now, Karl Lagerfeld was honored this week by the American department store with the award for distinguished service in fashion and thus formed this full circle moment the theme for a spectacular show and film. For the occasion, a huge drive-in cinema was recreated where the guests, including Anna Wintour, Lily Collins, Dakota Fanning, and of course the brand new face of this line, Kirsten Stewart, first got to see The Return. A short film by Kaiser Karl about Coco's comeback after the war.

Then it was time for the catwalk show that took us back to the old Wild West. We saw a lot of leather and suede with fringes, jackets made from horse blankets, and turquoise accessories. The classic Chanel suit was cut a bit more angular, with a skirt well over the knee and was worn with large boots. Fun detail; model Erin Wasson, hailing from Texas, wore bottles of Chanel No. 5 in her holsters. Bang bang, Karl did it again.

By: Charlene Heezen