Lagerfeld mixes art and fashion at Chanel show
Art met fashion on the Paris catwalk Tuesday as designer Karl Lagerfeld conjured up a vast modern art gallery full of Chanel-inspired works as the backdrop to his latest collection. The walls of Lagerfeld's gallery -- built inside Paris's Grand Palais -- were dotted with abstract works, some already in demand from real art galleries. Paintings bore the famous Chanel logo while sculptures included a classic black quilted handbag suspended upside down with its chain trailing on the ground. Singer Katy Perry was among those on the front row along with fashion photographer Mario Testino and model Ines de La Fressange. On the catwalk, colour took centre stage with silk print dresses inspired by an antique German paint chart and suits that came in the usual flattering shapes but with plenty of modern detail for spring/summer 2014. Other looks that stood out included pink knit dresses and loose black trousers with a wide black and pink woven knit around the waist. Following on from the "stocking boot" of Lagerfeld's earlier 2013 collections, footwear consisted of woolly socks attached to black and white patent leather court shoes. Speaking afterwards, Lagerfeld highlighted the collection's "jackets with no front, sleeveless dresses looking like suits... and prints (with) over 150 colours." The designer said he had wanted to create a sense of light-heartedness. "There should be a relationship between fashion and art because art shouldn't take itself too seriously and fashion either," he said. "So it's about a kind of likeness between the two, like in the days of Andy Warhol -- he was the only one who saw that fashion and art could go well together. After that they became too serious," he said. Art galleries had already been in touch about many of the works created for the set, Lagerfeld said, adding however that they were not for sale. The Chanel show came on the penultimate day of the Paris collections. Nine days of ready-to-wear fashion shows for spring/summer 2014 are due to wrap up on Wednesday. The highlight of the final day is expected to be Marc Jacobs' show for Louis Vuitton amid speculation it could be the last of his 16-year tenure at the French luxury brand. Industry journal Women Wear's Daily on Monday reported that contract negotiations between Jacobs and Louis Vuitton and its parent company, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, could see Jacobs call time on the collaboration to concentrate on his signature brand, possibly with an initial public offering. It said that Jacobs would need to be fully focused on his own brand in order to ensure the highest possible valuation for any eventual IPO. Louis Vuitton, meanwhile, is understood to have held talks with former Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere about succeeding Jacobs as artistic director, sources told the journal.
