Chanel's Pre-Fall 2012 Campaign Was Shot By Karl Lagerfeld And Styled By Carine Roitfeld!

We simply don’t know how Team Lagerfeld does it over there at chez Chanel! It’s not just six spectacular and meticulously planned shows that the fashion house creates per year (that’s S/S, A/W, two couture presentations, Pre-Fall AND Resort) but campaigns, parties, events and plenty of special projects along the way, too. C’est magique, we suspect. In the same day that Chanel treated a very elite group of fashion editors, including Grazia’s Style Director Paula Reed, to a let-them-eat-fashion feast of Cruise 2013 looks catwalked through the sun-scorched grounds of an 18th century court in Versailles, these opulent Pre-Fall 2012 ad campaign images were also released.

They feature the clothes from another Chanel fash-tacular behemoth, the Metier d'Arts Paris-Bombay collection, debuted in December last year at the establishment’s favourite show location in Paris, the Grand Palais. Naturellement, Karl is the man in charge of the camera, Russian model Daria Strokous (who has previously walked for Chanel’s couture and main line runways) is the star of the shoot and the intricately beautiful styling is all down to former Paris Vogue Editrix Carine Roitfeld, whose styling skills have already been tapped for the current S/S’12 campaign.

The  louche-but-luxe bar setting is just perfect to  Lagerfeld’s vision of the about-to-fall Raj-rocking-on. It’s a modern taken on some Indian style classics - draped silks, tunics over trousers and sufficient strings of pearls and jewels to do the country’s longstanding jewellery industry proud, but get this: Herr Lagerfeld hasn’t even been to India! “It's much more inspiring not to go to places than to go," he told Tim Blanks of Style.com, which neatly explains the very laid-back-chic Euro twist: scruffy dreadlocks, tweed coats, toe-capped booties and of course, the Alice Dellal-inspired Boy handbag, make such regal pieces look realistic. A Chanel moment is like fashion catnip, we just can't wait for MORE!