Kristen Stewart Performs Viewers of One at Chanel

0
286

[ad_1]

The Eighties have been the renaissance years of Chanel: the last decade Karl Lagerfeld took the helm of the home and commenced knocking the camellias and pearls and bouclé off their pedestals, dosing the traditional with the wholesome sense of amused disregard that grew to become a brand new signature for the model.

Their signifiers — the shoulder pads, purple ties, gold chains and buttons — have been weirdly current once more, in style, popular culture and politics alike, ever since that avatar from the last decade, Donald J. Trump, began taking on all of the air within the room.

So it’s little surprise, actually, that when Virginie Viard, Chanel’s present artistic director, determined to have her Métiers d’Artwork present within the Château de Chenonceau, the Loire Valley fort that was as soon as residence to Catherine de Medici, the renaissance patron, each durations received spliced collectively in her thoughts. To not point out the all the time current historical past of Gabrielle Chanel herself.

That’s the way it goes in style: The designer creativeness leaps from one connection to a different, pulling pennies out of the air, after which provides them up into an unexpectedly alluring new complete. That’s the way it works.

Or generally, as this time, doesn’t fairly work.

Within the vaulted black-and-white checked hallway of the chateau, in entrance of a coronavirus-dictated visitor of 1 (the actress and Chanel ambassador Kristen Stewart), Ms. Viard provided black-and-white checked miniskirts below bouclé blazers and over footless Jane Fonda cardio tights. Sweeping velvet greatcoats atop white bouclé playsuits trimmed in gold chain. A silvery unitard beneath a shell pink miniskirt swimsuit embroidered in elaborate gold leaf (additionally beneath a bouclé shorts swimsuit).

See also  Carole Baskin details the biggest 'Tiger King' misconception - CNN Video

There was a high-low strapless black robe cinched with a trompe l’oeil belt with a portrait of the fort itself picked out in rhinestones, and a stunning ruffled white shirt paired with a full black skirt, that very same belt — and a triangular black toque, sprouting tulle. There have been embroidered web page boy tunics and fringe-trimmed rocker vests and nation intarsia floral denim attire and slithery black second-skin trousers with harlequin diamonds lower out on the calves.

There have been some nice items amid the costumes, most notably a glinting grey tweed coatdress, and the workmanship was, as all the time with Métiers d’Artwork, eye-popping. The gathering was initially conceived, in spite of everything, as a celebration of the talents of the specialty artisans and producers that assist the couture trade, and that Chanel started buying in 1985. Subsequent yr, 11 of them will transfer into a brand new, Chanel-created centralized website in Paris.

And holding the present in a historic constructing constructed to honor girls, formed by sturdy girls (the positioning is also called the Château des Dames), was sensible at a time when girls are demanding their due. The gathering got here accompanied by a limited-edition e book of images from Juergen Teller immortalizing the fort. (As exhibits have change into digital, companion books have change into a factor. Proenza Schouler created one for its ready-to-wear assortment, a technique to maintain the expertise particular, and concrete.)

However the Métiers d’Artwork expertise has additionally historically been accompanied — generally nearly overshadowed — by lavish units and extravaganzas rife with celebrities, bejeweled clients and Champagne.

See also  The untold story of Ann Lowe, the Black designer behind Jackie Kennedy's wedding ceremony costume

Given the pandemic, that was not potential this season, and because of this, the garments alone needed to carry the second. Ms. Stewart, herself draped in pearls à la Coco, carried out rapt consideration with aplomb, however she couldn’t conceal the truth that amid all the eye to element and past-meets-present energy posturing, one essential component was lacking: irony.

Ms. Viard has expertise, and a imaginative and prescient of kinds for the place all of that is going, however seemingly no sense of the absurdity of our personal kitschy bombast and desires. No leavening raised eyebrow at the entire references.

The end result, just like the rhinestone belt and the checkerboard skirts that mimicked the ground, is simply too literal. And this can be a time when, the truth is, the one factor we may actually use is a light-handed perspective on each previous and current, and a little bit of amusing.

No joke.

[ad_2]

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here