'Extraordinary Women': Coco Chanel's legacy lives on after 40 years

World famous French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand, Coco Chanel died at the age of 87 in 1971, a wealthy but lonely woman according to “Extraordinary Women” which aired Sunday, Dec. 29.

Chanel's 2013 Cruise Collection Singapore

CRUISE 2013/14
BY KENNETH GOH

If the ghostly march of a thousand fashion soldiers was Karl Lagerfeld's idea to launch Chanel's 2013 cruise collection, then he found the perfect spot in Singapore to achieve it. The location was Loewen Cluster, a disused military barrack just minutes from the ultra sophisticated skyscrapers of downtown Singapore.

The old black and white buildings were reconstructed more than 6 months ago to transform them into long white-washed galleries, shuttered from the tropical sun with black and white chick blinds. It regained much of its former colonial glory with a good scrub and polish yet left enough of its past in the peeling painted walls and rickety wooden ceilings. It's this romantic charm and imperfection that Lagerfeld loves which new things don't always have - plus it sets the mood.

The result was perfect - the background was set for Lagerfeld to march Chanel's fashion army down the runway on the 9th May 2013.

Chanel 2013/14 Singapore Cruise Collection

CHANEL Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 Haute Couture 

CHANEL FALL-WINTER 2010/11 HAUTE COUTURE

 

 

 

 

   

  

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

           

             

    

           

           

  

    

  

 

             

                            

                                     

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Chanel Haute Couture Fall Winter 2010

Rumours were abound throughout couture week in Paris of Karl Lagerfeld‘s latest colossal feat for the house of Chanel. From farmhouses to icebergs, the previous efforts were nothing short of extraordinary – and tuesday night’s display proved no less fantastical.
Embossed with a golden lion’s head, the invitation for the Haute Couture Fall Winter 2010-11 show read “Sous la signe de la lion”. Under the sign of the lion. Arriving through the security gates at the Grand Palais, one could not quite grasp the meaning of this until reaching the top steps of the covered entrance, whereupon rose the grandiose figure of a gilded lion – his front paw resting on a glossy white pearl. Standing over twelve metres tall and taking set designer Stefan Lubrina and his team more than four months to create, the lion was crafted in steel and aluminium with a polystyrene skin.
Appearing out of the lion’s pearl, models circled the enormous beast – one of Chanel’s most poignant symbols as Coco was born under the starsign Leo. With flyaway straight hair from Sam McKnight and berry red lips from Peter Philips, the girls appeared as bold, modern princesses opening in a series of crop-sleeved skirt suits in claret, chocolate, beige and black. Playing with proportions, Karl showed a curved shoulder that cocooned to the elbow or wrist – and loose, quilted boots from the Parisian shoemaker Massaro that sat mid calf for a relaxed luxury. Regal military and tuxedo detailing was executed in velvet, satin and tweed –  with cropped or cinched jackets accentuating a slim, high waist with A-line and pencil skirts ending at the knee or just below. Upon the wrist, a knotted gauntlet of golden chains and medallions seemed both ornamental and incarcerating, like a ceremonial handcuff for a sacrificed maiden.
As the show moved from the opulently dark outerwear, evening pieces burst in dark floral embroideries and graduated through royal shades of crimson, gold and blue. Geometric lattice work of sequins and encrusted cropped jackets were layered over frothy tulles, always respecting a textural play with the long and short pieces. The final looks were minidresses shimmering in a riot of glittering tapestry, and for the bridal procession (always the cherry on Karl’s cake) Iris Strubegger emerged hand-in-paw with Baptiste Giabaconi dressed in a black tuxedo and hiding beneath a lion head mask.
Striking a vibrant chord with his upbeat tunes, sound stylist Michel Gaubert used Timothy Andres‘ contemporary piano stylings for an orchestral and rather cinematic sound experience – a sense of urgency and bright energy ensuring the lion’s symbology was not lost in a dirge of heavy strings.
Diffusing such a powerful symbol through an entire collection, Karl Lagerfeld’s sumptuous Chanel couture called upon world history and mythologies with high-impact results.
Chanel – just like the lion – demands power not through aggressive action or cunning, but with a grand majesty that befits its royal status in the fashion jungle. Under the sign of the lion, hear them roar.