Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld is a busy man these days with his design work for Chanel, multiple collaborations and time spent behind the lens. But for the July issue of Vogue Japan, Lagerfeld took some time out to strike a pose for Eric Guillemain (2b Management) in his signature glasses and fingerless gloves. The German designer poses alongside images featured in The Little Black Jacket, an exhibit starring 113 celebrities and models in the iconic Chanel staple photographed by Lagerfeld with styling by Carine Roitfeld.
Sometimes when we’re so overwhelmed by a specific trend that seems to be everywhere, you get a bit turned off by it. After much hesitation of whether or not I would be contribute to the never-ending Lita craze or not, I can gladly say that I’m happy with my decision. Fitting true to size these bad girls were quite comfortable the moment I put them on. The suede was smooth and the color is perfect. I can already see these Jeffrey Campbell shoes being a staple in my wardrobe.
Along with needing a new pair of shoes, I’m currently coveting new nail polishes for this spring and summer (and ever trying to up my collection). Yesterday, I appropriately picked up two pastel based nail polishes from China Glaze “Light as Air” and “Mint”. I was also happily surprised to see my Chanel package arrive a bit early where I had ordered “June”, “Rose Paradise”, and “Particulière”.
Karl Lagerfeld’s interview at the Grand Palais, Chanel Fall-Winter 2012/13 Ready-to-Wear show.
Chanel F/W 12.13 Paris via Vogue.
“A roomy silhouette allowed for a side-stepping of the size prejudices that Lagerfeld has been accused of recently, while a three-year-old little boy taking to the catwalk, carrying his own miniature Chanel bag, walked neatly into the controversy about under age models that continues to rage within and without the industry. Very sweet but hard to justify in terms of essential – but then, what about Chanel is essential?
As ever with Lagerfeld’s work, not a single detail had been missed, from the Maison Lesage embellished, glittering eyebrows to the Lurex-shot tweeds in petrol green, indigo and purple, incredible emerald, amethyst and sapphire embellishments and petrol green feather-smothered jackets and miniature tweed rucksacks.
Loose knitwear featured irregular patterns in green, purple, pink and mustard, while heavy grey wool coats were scattered with bright yellow, pink and green jewels and long silk muslin dresses in the same stained glass prints gave a nod to the modern hippy we’ve seen creeping in elsewhere.
Despite the hardy mood, the Chanel delicacy was very much in evidence too, with pearl-embellished chain belts wound around dresses of frothy lace, silk chiffon pleat-fronted pussy bow blouses and disco chic skirts of pink and green ribboned lamé. Some futuristic, panelled wool coats revealed chiffon ruffles of sleeves from stiff shoulder panels.”
I’ve always wanted to invest in a Chanel bag. However, my dreams are slowly becoming just that…dreams.
Even with being in an economic downturn Chanel handbags are still selling like hotcakes. This is not good for the procrastinators such as myself. Chanel is known for being a premier designer that is rather exclusive. It’s a step above Louis Vuitton, and a step below Hermes. (IMO) While the quality of the bags remain the same, there have been multiple price increases each year. In part, the popularity of flaps, reissue, and a few other styles can be the main cause for this. They are timeless bags that will never be on sale, yet to be lusted at for years to come. Is this Chanel’s way of trying to tell mainstream that they want to remain exclusive?
Prior to November 2008, a Classic Jumbo Bag retailed for $2850.
After November 2008, a Classic Jumbo Bag was now retailed for $3420.
20% increase resulting in a $570 jump.
Now that 2012 has arrived, several more price increases have occurred within the last month or so worldwide.
Rough estimation of a Classic Jumbo Bag as of February 2012 is now $4900.
Rough estimation of a Classic Jumbo Bag after June 2012 is roughly $5160.
Altogether Chanel has driven up their prices to an 81% increase since 2008 with no end in sight. The girls forever shoving what they can into their piggy banks are seemingly being left in the dust. The dream of owning that one it girl bag is becoming unrealistic for most, a realization I have now let sink in.
Good news: Second hand sellers will always remain existent. Their prices will be driven up as well, but still less than retail. Hope remains for Chanel lovers.
*Currency in USD
“This show was first-class. The audience were welcomed aboard at the entrance of the Grand Palais and led through a fake airport terminal of articulated metal corridors into the interior of a jumbo jet, complete with airline seating, low-level lighting and blue skies visible through the small windows. Instead of gilt chairs with calligraphed labels, there were slender airline style seats with electronic numbering, either side of a wide aisle. Champagne was served from a trolley wheeled along a carpet dotted with a discreet double-C logo.
The extravagant attention to detail on the set is not just a gimmick, but serves a commercial purpose of sorts – reminding the audience that the core value of Chanel haute couture is the pursuit of perfection with no heed to the cost.
The first dress of the show was an idealised vision of a chic, early 1960s flight attendant. An immaculate boucle sheath dress, with a wide boat-shaped neckline and dropped waist, it came in a shade of baby blue that would look saccharine if the outline were not so simple. But Lagerfeld is never particularly interested in fashion nostalgia, so this was never likely to be a tribute to Pan Am styling. And true to form, the second outfit to emerge was a dress in royal blue wool, simply cut but for a subtle padding of the cap sleeves, which lent a hint of Star Trek.
Lagerfeld’s flight of fancy took the legend of a golden age of travel as a starting point for a journey that then headed into the future. The rolling white clouds screened through the windows morphed into a dark, starry sky – and before long, into an image of the earth as seen from outer space.
As the show went on, the models’ mohicans became ever more extravagantly gravity-defying; the texture of the clothes shifted from classic boucle tweed into glitter-threaded denim to suggest a starry sky, and then into layers of opalescent pebbles that resembled a moonscape. Throughout, the silhouette was lean and curveless, with straight up-and-down dresses whose wide necklines almost matched the width at the hips.”
