Virginie Viard sends out a spirited and saleable collection.
It all started with a photo of Karl Lagerfeld wearing a striped suit with riding boots. And from that unlikely pairing, Virginie Viard, Creative Director at Chanel, brought a fresh, very French energy to the house where she has worked for 30 years.
“Romanticism – but without any flourishes, and emotions – but without any frills,” said Virginie of a collection significant for playing on the designer’s female side.
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The models walked out on a kidney-shaped runway – its curves creating a softening effect, with the floor a mirror image of the glass and iron dome above.
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Sisters! There never were such devoted fashion couples, some models holding hands, others just tossing loose hair over coats and jackets.
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But the focus was below, as the jodhpur-style trousers (which could be unbuttoned from the thigh or knees) lead down to calf-high boots.
In all those years when Karl had, for each show, often focussed on a particular place – usually where Coco had once visited – I have no memory of a Gabrielle Chanel racehorse called ‘Romantica’. Nor of the late designer in a pair of jodhpurs worn over seven-league boots. The only horsey world in high fashion is surely ‘owned’ by Hermes.
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Whatever role Virginie is playing in the house of Chanel, she seems to retain a particular skill in slightly shifting the focus – and turning any new object into a buck. Expect to see a stampede for stockings marked discreetly with the double-C logo.
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Tiffanie Darke, Editor in Chief of Harrod’s, was effusive. “I loved the show – fresh, modern and unmistakably Chanel,” she said. “So much to buy – slouchy boots, glittery brooches and perfectly proportioned puff-sleeved blouses.”
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The orders will soon be flowing in from the ten million viewers in China provided with a live feed by Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion, Chanel.
With the show on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, the reach will be exceptional.
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Maybe in this hyper-digital world, it was smart of Chanel to choose a reliable designer known throughout the company.
Did Virginie achieve her goal? She succeeded in creating a sporty, fresh and pretty look – apparent in a coral coat or the cut of an open curve to the lower thighs.
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But where were the famous gilded CC buttons? They were replaced by lines of un-sparkling press studs – leaving the glitter to imposing jewellery that was occasionally copied boldly on a sweater front.
The designer’s vision is very French, which means a particular neatness in casual clothes. Yet there was still plenty of fashion freedom – a pink skirt scissored from knee to thigh. Evening outfits – including a corset top with trousers – were soft, while frilly white shirts were young and pretty. Each piece seemed infinitely saleable.
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So, a year after the loss of Lagerfeld, Chanel’s decision to keep the designer in-house seems to be working pretty well. As Gigi Hadid closed the show in a smart coat, big bra top, short shorts – and those Karl riding boots – the audience erupted with cheers.
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