STYLE
Year of the Lion
As September draws near, so does New York City's annual Mer
cedes-Benz Fashion Week. With the couture shows having just fin
ished in July, it's already time to move past fall and winter to
another season, different trends and the bustle of last minute
stitches or tears to make an outfit just right and as close to per
fection, at least in the designers' eyes.
New York City, along with Paris, Milan and London, makes up
what some industry people call "the big four." These four cities
serve as the center stages for the fashion world, especially during
the fashion weeks, but also year-round.
Paris Fashion Week is a highly anticipated event, like the others,
but the names at the event are what spark the excitement.
Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier. These
collections are what the industry people wait to see. These fashion
houses are the top players and have such a strong pull with the
public and editors, consistently introducing new and expressive
designs, particularly Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel.
When Lagerfeld, a German designer, took over as head designer
and creative director for Chanel in the early 1980 s, he brought
with him a new and fresher take on the Chanel line and reaffirmed
its already firmly cemented place in the fashion world. Not sur
prisingly there was controversy with his succession and immeas
urable use of fur, but nothing would make him falter.
The most recent couture show, held in July, can vouch for his
artistic abilities. As a whole, there was a refinement seen in this
collection compared to the FalliWinter 2009/2010 collection, which
had a more whimsical feel.
Autumnal and rich jewel tones flanked the runway in delicately
and sometimes rather drastically detailed dresses and two piece
ensembles. The crimson reds, navy blues, and emerald greens and
deep browns were spectacular against the white runway. Models
walked the runway in Victorian-inspired mid-calf boots, which
subtly complimented their outfits.
Accompanied by pieces from pianist Timothy Andres, the mod
els showed off the beautiful details of the new collection, which
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AUGUST 24, 2010
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were that of classical Chanel: pearl embellishments, tweed, fur lin
ing. Not that Lagerfeld's use of leather or fur is ever condonable
or, frankly, necessary, even if he did use the faux kind for the
Fall/Winter 2010/2011 collection. Nevertheless the overall look of
this Chanel collection was understated in just the right way and,
simply put, lovely.
Besides the collection, one never really knows what to expect
from Chanel's runway shows, whether it be a giant (and real) ice
berg, a huge signature tweed jacket, a barn, or four larger-than
life perfume bottles. This time around an enormous lion statue
stood at the center in the Grand Palais and underneath one paw
was an equally enormous pearl from where the models emerged
onto the stage.
What came down the runway in Chanel's Fall/Winter 2010/2011
couture collection has similarities to the styles and colors of the
latest film adaptation on Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's life, almost like
a homage to the beginnings of the Chanel line.
The U.S. premiere of Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky coincides
with the showing of the Chanel Spring/Summer 2011 collection.
Based on the novel Coco & Igor by Chris Greenhalgh, the film
follows the supposed affair between Coco Chanel and legendary
composer Igor Stravinsky. Coco, played by French actress Anna
Mouglalis, and Stravinsky, played by Mads Mikkelsen (Casino
Royale) begin a heated affair after a struggling Stravinsky and his
family move into Chanel's home
The film is undoubtedly a visual masterpiece and may possibly
be more visually appealing than past recreations of Chanel's life,
but the chemistry between Mouglalis and Mikkelsen is not all that
believable, and the constant and intense eye contact makes it no
more convincing. These two powerful artists clash and there is
hardly enough substance between them for the affair to last.
This film comes after 2008's Lifetime movie Coco Chanel, with
Shirley MacLaine as the title character, and 2009's Coco avant
Chanel (Coco Before Chanel).
Lifetime's adaptation was less than stellar, due in part to
MacLaine's unfortunate and ridiculous attempt at a French accent,
which alone made for a rather unnatural and substandard per
formance. Regardless, the clothing was beautiful, but no amount
it again
life-size signature tweed jacket .
Actors, technicians, and a stage manager for
Behrend's Fall 2010 theatre production:
An Evening of one-acts, songs, and dances
honoring the ILLS. at mid-century,
Directed by Dr. Chrystyna Dail
Auditions will consist of cold readings and
12-15 students will be chosen.
Students can audition on September 7th and
Bth. The performances will be on November 4-
7 and 11-13, 2010. Students working on the
show can earn up to 3 credit hours. Rehearsal
times are subject to revision.
Contact Dr. Dail at cmdlso@psu.edu for
of could hide the fact that the lead role was seriously miscast and
the supporting characters could not keep the ship from sinking.
On the other hand, Coco avant Chanel gave Chanel's legacy the
recognition it deserved. Audrey Tautou's (Am elie, The Da Vinci
Code) Chanel was as spot-on as one could hope for it be, not only
for her demeanor and how she presented the clothes, but also the
actress' uncannily facial resemblance to the designer herself.
Tautou, already having close ties to Chanel as the leading brand
perfume's, Chanel No. 5, spokesmodel, was given the thumbs up
by Lagerfeld himself, even though Lagerfeld did not hold a great
degree of influence in this film nor the one to debut in late Sep
tember, though he did make sure to add his expertise on the cos
tume design.
Praise for Tautou's portrayal did not last long and Lagerfeld
later went back on his kind comments, saying that if it were his
choice he would've rather had Penelope Cruz play the role.
His shocking distaste for the actress came after a comment
made by Tautou and the fact that Chanel does not produce rain
boots, which Tautou claimed to have worn during an interview.
If that isn't evidence enough of how brutal the fashion industry
can be against actresses and models, Lagerfeld's strong opinion
on weight is.
After saying that "no one wants to look at fat women," Lagerfeld
surprisingly put "plus-size" model Crystal Renn into Chanel's Re
sort 2011 show. Obviously Crystal Renn is not fat, but the fact that
the models walking in Chanel's shows rarely look larger than a
size 0, maybe size 2, says a lot about the discrimination that de
signers have towards models and that which the models have to
face.
Although it is difficult to dive into discussion about a fashion
house, especially one like Chanel, without mentioning the linger
ing issues, it clearly remains that the time and energy put into the
designs and production cannot be overlooked. That the clothing
will always triumph and at the end of the day, what is done is done.
Designers must not dwell on past failures or missteps because in
reality, they live a world ahead. There is always the next season
on the horizon and for Chanel at least, the horizon is looking very
good.
WANTED
World War II In Revue
more information.
BEHREND BEACON
August 19, 2010
www.thebehrendbeacon.com
mmons