Dear Friends:
This is from the International Herald Tribune today (13 12 2011). As i
am not internet subscriber to IHT, I was not able to get it from them.
It is lot of botheration to scan it from the print copy, so I took
recourse to Google. So, here it is.My idea is that it shows how the
Queen of fashion cares for
the traditional couture of Indian women You of course do not get either
the slides or pictures. Do you need them, really?).
-bhuban
. Fashion & Style
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Exotic India Wrapped in Chanel
Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld takes a bow at the finale of the Chanel Paris-Bombay
collection at the Grand Palais in Paris. More Photos »
By SUZY MENKES
Published: December 12, 2011
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PARIS — Some Chanel collections seem to come from Karl Lagerfeld’s
heart, and some from his head. The collection the designer showed last
week was an ode to India — but emotionally it was pinned to Paris.
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Chanel Marries Sumptuous India With Couture Detail
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Chanel
An India-inspired look from the Chanel Paris-Bombay collection. More
Photos »
The presentation, in a curving mezzanine space at the Grand Palais,
lived up to its title of Paris-Bombay for the models’ heads. They had
heaped up dreadlocks holding exotic jewelry that dangled on the
forehead above kohl-black eyes.
The setting was sumptuous: a faded Maharajah’s palace, its gallery
laced with rounded windows and a miniature silver train whizzing
crystal decanters of whiskey around long tables with silver platters of
fruits and sweetmeats.
The actress Freida Pinto described it as “back in the Mughal Empire.”
But while this artistic backdrop, topped with chandeliers and with
flower petals scattered on the floor, was done with whimsy and
imagination, the collection, showcasing the work of seven couture
suppliers, all owned by Chanel, was surprisingly down to earth. It
seemed more pedestrian than the poetic heat and dust of Indian legend.
“Not at all Bollywood — it’s the idea of India, inspiration more from
the men’s clothes, saris worn like a scarf and a touch of what hippies
would like,” said Mr. Lagerfeld, pointing out that Coco Chanel had
played with the sari idea back in 1939 and had done a few India
inspirations in the early 1960s.
The overall style was sporty, with tailored Raj coats, jackets and
knits, and narrow pants under draped or long skirts. Pearls reprised
from Chanel’s summer collection were looped around tweedy dresses,
while hand pieces look set to be the new cocktail rings.
This collection, the Métiers d’Art, focuses on Chanel’s specialty
suppliers. Embroidery, from the newly appointed artistic director at
Lesage, Hubert Barrère, and from the house of Montex, created
hyper-subtle embellishment. It appeared as gilded braiding at coat
wrists and hems, as nests of beaded epaulettes or as vividly patterned
bag straps crossing the body.
The rest was wintry and elegant with an outstanding lean white coat
with lattice work edging. But there were more references to Nehru
jackets and silken jodhpurs than to dresses with Mughal flower patterns.
Maybe it was smart of Mr. Lagerfeld to avoid the clichés of saris,
salwar kameez and splendor.
The result was ultra-refined and modern. The black, ivory and white
theme reflected the latter period of the Maharajahs and their
pared-down Art Deco palaces, rather than the country’s exuberant
embellishment and vivid colors.
Compared to Mr. Lagerfeld’s previous interpretations of Coco in Moscow
or last year’s Paris/Byzantium show, the mood was restrained. That, no
doubt, fits more accurately the current financial mood and the spirit
of potential customers.
But whereas the book of India photographs from the Chanel muse Amanda
Harlech brought to life India’s bright powders for the Holi festival,
its umber sandstone temples, its fiery sunsets over still waters and
its scattered heads of bright flowers, the Chanel version seemed too
firmly rooted in the chic streets of Pari
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