PARIS — Leave it to Chanel to transform the Grand Palais into a brightly-lit giant supermarket — christened by Karl Lagerfeld as the Chanel Shopping Center — with a grid of aisles making up the runway, stocked with row upon row of Chanel-branded products.
In what is perhaps a statement on the state of consumerism in fashion, models made their way — some pushing trolleys — around the cheese counters and fresh fruit and vegetable stands, where among the thousands of goodies on offer were Gabrielle grapefruits, Little Black Tea and Jambon Cambon. There were even a couple of checkout counters at the exit, with one of the numerous colored signs reading “Un Grand Magasin Pour Un Grand Palais.” (Showgoers would, as expected, later raid the shelves of the designer produce and document the frenzy all over social media.)
Undoubtedly cheeky are the season's It bags, which came in the form of metal supermarket baskets — replete with the house's signature chain design for handles; classic quilted shoulder bags plastic-wrapped with stickers saying "100% Agneau"; and clutches emblazoned with plays on the founder's name, like "Lait de Coco".
Out came the models in metallic sneakers, in a cool evolution on the house’s couture collection that was presented in January. Their dreadlock-style ponytails threaded with colored weaves gave a raver twist, as if they had swept into the store after a night of partying. ‘It’ girl Cara Delevingne had thrown a roomy tweed coat over her distressed pink sweats and crop top, broken by a belly chain, that were full of designer holes.
The collection’s tiered looks also referenced the dominant silhouette of the spring couture collection, working a short jacket with a slim waist and a flared skirt in chunky tweeds and knits — a spot-on trend in a season of rich textures.
The bulky knitted jumpsuits weren’t so flattering, nor were the knee-high sneakers. But the vibe overall was ultra youthful, from the colored coats lined with vibrant graphics, and sweaters dotted with what looked like colored pills or Smarties, to tweed suits worn with skinny pants in reflective rainbow and glitter finishes.
Moods ranged from prim and proper, to pink and fluffy, to dark and industrial, offering up different characters for the supermarket scene.
