Chanel Your Inner Scotsman

     The latest Metiers D'art Collection by Chanel had me cringing at first. I don't find Uggs to be stylish, and seeing kangaroo-fur booties made me question. However, I later came to appreciate the near-grunginess and hardness of the line. I would imagine that many people associate Chanel clothing with elegance and opulence. However, the early natives of Scotland were considered barbaric and gritty.
   Personally, artistic juxtapositions get me very excited.
   A gritty and authentic creation by Karl

Lagerfeld had me infatuated. Fair-isle prints were given a haute transformation with linear patterns made of sequins, and embroidered on an airy black chiffon fabric (as seen on model Julia Nobis, to the right). Traditional tartan prints were framed with jewels, and argyle became the chicest pattern since the 90s. After watching the show several times, I knew that there would be many visits to the Chanel boutique.

Here are some of my favorite looks from the collection: 

(Runway photos resource: http://www.style.com/fashion-shows/pre-fall-2013/chanel/. Retrieved 1/3/2013.)

   Something I've learned with these trips is this: runway photos you see online are taken from a distance. Thus, the amount of detail you will find in person is astonishing. The runway and detail photos did no justice to the beauty that exuded from the clothing. 

Source: http://chanel-news.chanel.com/en/home/2012/12/backstage-photos-paris-edimbourg-2012-13-show-.gallery.html

   Inspecting and appreciating the works of craftsmanship gave me surprising insights. The pants worn on the right appear to be a heavy denim. In the boutique I held the bottom hem and lifted it up to my eyes. I expected it to feel and weigh as much as 90s mom-jeans; instead, I was baffled by its weightlessness, thin composition, and silk texture.

Being strongly influenced by the style of this show I decided to take it to it's male counterpoint:

           

        

      

    Outfit credit: quilted hunter jacket- Tasso Ella, cable knit shawl collar sweater- Tasso Ella, wool tweed pants- Tommy Hilfiger, faux crinkled leather combat boots- Forever 21, wool check scarf- Vintage Burberry, silver chain-link bracelet- Hot Topic, red and rusted chain-link cuff- eBay, brooch- Chanel, kilt pin- eBay, leg warmers- salvaged from a knit sweater. 

   I was confused when I read that the signature Chanel jacket was lined with a chain from the inside. So I looked at a picture of a regular tweed jacket and compared it to the fit of a Chanel jacket. The difference is very noticeable: A regular jacket will fit on you. The fabric has its own weight and will sit on your body. A Chanel jacket will fit to your shape. The weight of the chains (sewn on near the lining) pulls the fabric down so that it will conform to your body. Basically, all this means is that a Chanel jacket is made to fit perfectly.

 Vogue France did an article showing some workmanship done by the contributing craftsmanship houses of the Metiers D'art collections. Here's some of their photos depicting the creation of some Edinburgh pieces (resource: http://en.vogue.fr/fashion/fashion-news/diaporama/chanel-metiers-d-art-derues-lemarie-massaro-lesage-goossens-maison-michel-guillet-montex-causse-barrie-knitwear-lognon/16567/image/887316).

   

This coat worn on the left works the same way a typically Chanel jacket, but without sewn-in chains. The tartan collar and cuffs are very heavy; from what I saw, they are two solid layers of boiled wool. That day when I stumbled in the boutique there happened to be a woman trying the piece on. The fit was impeccable and flawless. Even with the denim pants she was wearing, her look was complete. 







   If you enjoy this collection I'd really suggest taking a look into my 'Soviet Reversal Trick' post where I cover Chanel's 2009 Metiers D'art (Paris-Moscow) Collection.

"They can take our lives, but they can never take our freedom!"- Braveheart