“You think that’s all I do, I’m just a ditz with a credit card?” asked Cher Horowitz in Clueless, as she wondered if her hobby of hanging out in a shopping mall might dent her chance of true love. Well, Karl Lagerfeld seems to approve of ditzes with credit cards, the world over. In fact, he erected a shopping centre (they called it that, but it was more of a hypermarket) themed around Chanel in their honour, at the Grand Palais, where prices are 20-50% up, not off, and everything came with the perma-cool cachet of Chanel branding and referencing.
The oooh-ing and aaah-ing of this particular Chanel set, topped last season’s faux art gallery. It took at least forty-five minutes just to get people to sit down at their seats because they couldn’t resist wandering through the shopping aisles, feasting their eyes on product, glorious product. A leg of Jambon Cambon? Risotto rice a la Venere Elsa? Aunt Adrienne’s Configure? A bottle of cleaning mousse called Boy? Coco Pops cereal? The list went on and on. An Instagram barrage of pics and selfies ensued (woe upon the ppl who only follow fashion peeps and had their feeds bombarded by samey images). Like kids in a candy store, we indulged. Some people overdid it.
Once we finally did sit down, we got clothes. Lots of them. Brilliant clothes at that. They sparkled, shimmered and were texturally rich, as it always had been at Chanel. Later in the showroom, you could liken many of the surfaces to hundreds and thousands or elaborate cupcake decorations. Lagerfeld has been pushing a “sportier” silhouette. Well, as sporty as a pair of tweed tracksuit bottoms and matching jacket can be. The trainers, a trickle down from the couture show, helped wave the sporty flag. In this pick n’ mix, there was something for everyone (I didn’t see them in the show but turns out there was actual dolly bead candy jewellery just to aassert the whole sweet analogy). Next season’s kitsch-o-rama bag will be the 2.55 encased in a lamb’s leather covered polystyrene-a-like tray and wrapped in cling film (yes it will be produced exactly like this for the customer to do with the cling film as they wish) or the wire basket covered in Chanel chains. Some Chanel-nuts will be toting them around the Harrods Food Hall for sure. Models did their very best to do the shopwalk, pushing trolleys, carrying baskets and contemplating whether a bag of Chanel cotton balls was a sound purchase. They walked repeatedly in front of you so you could look at the clothes. Yes, this was still about the clothes, despite the setup.
That said, the punchline of this spectacle occurred after the models had done their campy exits with Lagerfeld dragging out a bratty Cara Delevigne, who had overloaded the shopping trolley. It was announced that the Chanel Shopping Centre would be closing and that we could help ourselves to complimentary fruit and veg. Instead though, editors pounced on the non-perishable items with the Mademoiselle Prive doormats being the number one prized item to go first (Katie Grand nabbed the first one I think) followed by Chanel gardening gloves and safety tabards. They were veritable Chanel-branded garments afterall and this audience’s appetite needed to be sated.
I watched in vague fear and slight bemusement. I was thinking when something is too good to be true, it often is. I gingerly picked up a Chanel biscuit tin, slightly disappointed that nothing was inside. I could have done with a biscuit brekkie. Then news started to filter in that security guards were confiscating everyone’s loot (the lady who filled up two bin bags worth of stuff must have been gutted). Nothing was to be taken, apart from the fruit and veg and bags of candy (Chanel jacket shaped gummy sweet, anyone?). That was Lagerfeld getting the last laugh. You can look and touch, but don’t you take. That’s pretty much Chanel in a nutshell for most of the population unless you buy into the fruit/veg equivalent in the make-up and perfume.
People have been taking umbrage at the perceived idea that Lagerfeld is making some smirking comment on 21st century consumerism. PoT, kettle and black, they say. On the contrary, Lagerfeld is celebrating it and exercising his ferocious skill of instilling primal desire, which he has done so well at Chanel over the years. It’s a deliberately over-the-top showcase of canny dexterity, that’s even a touch arrogant. Lagerfeld has earned that show-off right. Those that also criticissed the show for going overboard on the kitsch afnd that Coco Chanel would be rolling in her grave – well, as witnessed here, kitsch sells. If a group of fashion industry insiders went insane at this Chanel Supermarket Sweep, think what would mainstream consumers do? Come August/September, they’ll ooh and aah over the shop displays, walk into the stores and touch up the clingfilm bags and a small minority will buy the lot of it. The Chanel Shopping Center is open to everyone to engage with, but for the select few, they get to walk out of the door with goods in hand. Credit card ditzes wait in anticipation.
Such an interesting, innovative concept. Very inspiring, I love it.
I’m not a huge follower of the shows by any means, but this one has totally captured my imagination – I was refreshing the chanel hashtag on instagram when everyone was posting. I think you are very right about it being a celebration of consumerism, and not a smirk at it. Also, those meat tray bags are entirely genius.
what I would have done to be there!! Karl is amazing!!
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Thanks for sharing so many great pics of the show, I was so keen to see more. Aamazing show concept and some extraordinary good pieces in this collection …the yellow coat, the patchwork coat, the rainbox tweed outfit with the bee waist and the orange tracksuit for me please!
HA!!! The looting at the end, best thing ever, even respectable editors couldn’t control their appetite…
Amazing !!
the clothes, I think chanel is the only one in the world who knows how to handle tick, rich and tweet fabrics! the fabrics are phenomenal, the textures ever more phenomenal and the shapes are not even from this world! although I think he did a great job with this sporty theme (not so sure about the color scheme, yes I get the candy theme) and he finally showed the world how to wear the sporty look. I don’t like the shoes and i think that the silhouettes are not for everybody. I am only 5ft so the boots are too high for me and the jackets too oversized.
Now let’s talk about the decor, out of this world, the funny part, I am working in an academy of art and we had more or less the same idea. we are going to create a pop up store with nothing than cans, but the cans will become art pieces created by our students.
The idea behind it all? even more phenomenal. I was there, outside, hanging around like a pariah and I realized that is was all about certain people wearing certain kind of clothes. it is not about the most fashionable peeps ever and it is certainly not about the clients, it is about somebodies wearing somebodies. Maybe Karl wanted to tell the it-folks how relative everything is. yes they were the lucky ones to get in, but in the end they are not that lucky to bring something home. as you said he had the last laugh, he is in control, he was playing mind games with the ones who thought that nobody could play mind games with them when it comes to fashion. Maybe it is a good thing that you couldn’t bring anything home! after all, it is so dishonest towards his real clients who are spending thousands of dollars in his stores and not even had the change to see the show. Let’s stick to the fact that or Karl is a genius or he is surrounded by genius people. In one way or another, this was fashion at a deeper level, maybe it was even art
PS I don’t everything was confiscated, saw an actual doormat outside the show underneath the arms of a russian socialite?
Karl Lagerfeld having the last laugh? He has to smile before he can laugh! Great show and incredible clothes.
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Thank you Susie – I really enjoyed your recap of this show! And I think your analogy of the fruit and veg being the accessible Chanel/equivalent to their cosmetics – was particularly apt.
The cling filmed Chanel bag is absolutely hilarious! I can also imagine the candy Chanel necklaces inspiring many knock-offs in no time!
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Beautiful photos!!!
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It is insane. I love the concept , the idea. The plastic wrapped chanel bag and the chanel basket were just too cute:) <3
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I’m blown away by the impeccable detailing of the scenery of the show, the graphic design of the products, the puns, the cling filmed Chanel bag…
As a designer I’m jealous of those who had the change to design this concept because the result is amazing.
However, my heart is torn into pieces while watching your movie in the end. All those people just grabbing whatever they can without any respect for the work and effort that has been put into. It’s sad to see that even highly fashionably respectable people must get incredibly greedy when it comes to any kind of Chanel-items.
Thanks for sharing all parts of the show!
A.
Love the idea of a designer supermarket !
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Brilliantly written! Loved this concept, very jealous of you being able to see it live x
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i love the creativity of chanel, sometimes the clothes aren’t rg=ight for me but i respect karl’s vision immensely
Lauren x
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We have a well used food bank 400 yards from our house and homeless people sleeping on the Common just 100 yards away..
Something is very wrong with the world and this Chanel Show illustrates the vanity and extravagance of the fashion world.
Well to be fair, that has always been the case regardless of the Chanel show. It’s an overt expression but what is the difference between the expensive garms at Chanel and the expensive garms at errr… Hermes. Not much in terms of pricing. Is Karl flaunting the excess? Yes, but that gets the tills ringing and that is what a business (and yes much of fashion is about business) is about.
Feeding the world is an enormous challenge. Food is a political, environmental , social and health issue .
The Chanel ” supermarket” has historical precedence for Paris . Marie Antoinette had her “farm” complete with Sevre milking pails and rightly or wrongly,is remembered for, ” let them eat cake”.
Of course it is. I’m not denying these problems exist. What I’m saying is that this show isn’t exacerbating the pre-existing problem nor do I think it’s deliberately highlighting the issue. And by the by, all of the perishable items (cheese, fruit and veg and meat) were donated to food banks/charities immediately afterwards.
One of my problems is using real food as a flippant background for a fashion show. The clothes spoke for themselves and it is wonderful to see beautiful clothes that celebrate the talents of the whole atelier .
The Burberry shows were a joy and delight and the clothes spoke for themselves.
The fashion industry does not exist in a vacum .
Karl has often said, “it’s a part of the game” and if your adept at the history of fashion, especially in Paris, you’ll know that this is an old game…playing the same notes to a different generation. Susie acknowledges the game beautifully, recognizing that being over the top is one well worn way of getting noticed.
Yet irony runs deep as both the founders of Hermes and Chanel were two people who rose out of deep poverty.
Since all things are possible under the sun, one could also focus on the many designers who are building foundations that serve many. Steve Madden has openly acknowledged his bout with greed, jail time, and his about face. Tom’s shoes is another.
Excess is a teacher, right or wrong, it takes you down a road that eventually leads to a fork. The pivot is optional.
A great review of the clothes and art behind the show. This wasn’t genius because it was Chanel, but because it was beautiful, interactive, fun and so refreshing.
Susie, I just wanted to say that i deeply, deeplu LOVE your runway reports – personal and balanced, detailed and at the same tame giving impression about the whole atmosphere and sociological observations. And your detail pictures from showroom are great. Your blog it the only place, when we can not only see, but get to know what these collections are about. THANK YOU, you’re doing so great and important job here!
I saw the show on TV, brilliant concept and really lovely outfits!
Nice post with beautiful photos!
Xo Chris
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I don’t know how any other designer will top Chanel’s supermarket fashion show idea. I wish they would keep this as a fashion “museum/store” for everyone to be able to visit… Who wouldn’t want to go shopping for a Chanel inspired “meat” purse or a CC candy necklace!!
What a wonderful and creative iniciative, I´d love to have been there, gorgeous outfits, coats, bags and accessories
What I seem to like most about this show is the tiny black fluff on the coat on the first detail shot. What genius must have put it there.
My place!
This fashion show is such a dream!
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Everything looks amazing at the show, all young beautiful models make the clothes look great. Go to their shop, everything look so damn mature, you have to be at least 50 years old to handle a piece of Chanel garment…
Thats amazing!
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Awesome ! http://roseandpose.com/