Chanel Exhibition at the MET

[Lena]

if not karl, who?

hard to say, since that was in the 80's.. Sonia Rikiel, Hamnet or even Agnes B. could catch on the point the spirit of Chanel..

from contemporaries, if we stick with the 'female factor' i think sibylla or ann.d could be a good choice, then someone like elbaz or hedi slimaine

wouldnt be a bad idea to go for someone like Jurgi Persoons or like Ioannis Guia .

 

[softgrey]

who is ioannis guia?...

kit-i keep checking myself to see if i have become terribly dated......
i don't think it has happened quite yet...but i fully expect it to happen at some point...i have no delusions...

but as long as this 80's revival trend keeps dragging on...i think we're still good...HA!
...

 

[droogist]

Well, you can't please everyone...while part of me agrees that perhaps the house should have died with its founder, that's a lot to expect...none of them really die and stay dead, do they? I keep expecting someone to resurrect the House of Worth. And I don't get very religious about preserving the "legacy" of a house, but the Chanel image is an enduring, modern, and highly desireable one. Why mess with that? The logical solution is to do exactly what KL has done, with varying degrees of success, since he took over; attempt to strike a balance between the classic and the current. It's a fine line, and imo KL's one of the few designers who can walk it, and what's more, walk it with consistency. While I agree that he relies far too often on conspicuous injections of trendiness in order to do this, he's nonetheless been an astounding success at keeping the house relevant, not to mention profitable.

As for destroying the image of the house, I don't see it. No, Coco Chanel wasn't an snob, but she was hardly a populist either. It's not as though Karl came along and singlehandly catapulted the house into the upper echelons of luxury; it was already there before him, he (and management) just pushed it along. Besides, it's a couture house. How can it be anything but elitist...?

Anyway, Karl's ok by me, and at this point I can hardly imagine Chanel with any other designer.

 

[greenjack]

I wouldn't be able to go see it. I super wanted to see it. Waaaaah!

 

[greenjack]

Thank you so much for posting the scans! Thank you very much! It's highly appreciated.

Harper's Baazar USA
April 2005
"Ode to Coco"
8 scans

1.

2.

3.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

Love Karls gibberish.

funny... and true, as much as i may like him

 

[helena]

so have any of you been to see this yet?

 

[Spike413]

Yes, I went yesterday. It was almost surreal to be standing five feet from those famous pieces, it was almost like I had to keep reminding myself that they were the originals! Definitly a wonderful experience as a fashion lover....the mannequins could have been better though. The poses didn't display the clothes to their full potential.

 

[lolita729]

i went to see it, it s amazing and so overwhelming, as soon as i stepped in i had shivers i loved it wish it could just go on and on

 

[rhiannonmars]

I love droogist's post from 2 weeks ago. It is everything I wanted to say word for word!

I would be very sad if Chanel ever closed its doors. No one does tweed better or quilting quite right. Yes, it may be repetative and boring for some, but some people out there want something classic and timeless, from days gone by. I love vintage clothes, and in Chanel I can find things that pay hommage to the past I love dearly. When I buy Chanel, I am buying into an idea created at the turn of the century, era's I have very strong passion for. It's like buying into the ghost of Chanel, as I unfortunately did not live when she did.

I do think Karl has an inflated ego, but so does most everyone in the media. He reminds me of Dali, though I think Dali was less vague and self aborbed.

As for Chanel being down to earth, she was far from. She lied about her whole upbringing. There is so many conflicting stories, it was hard to get to the truth of her past. She was ashamed and glamourized her youth all through her life. She is the first designer to make her way into society. Before that, they were just people who worked for the rich, and did not socialise amoung them. I just read about her never liking to give hand outs to the poor, but did it only once during the war. She brings up this story though more to glorify herself later on than make herself a humanitarian.

I find pieces from Chanel I like through the years, though you do have to pick through alot of heavy fabrics and over accessorized pieces at times. The clothes I do find are stunning though! I think year after year everything gets lighter, more youthful, made for the modern girl. (light sweaters, think silk tops, tweed cut closer to the body) Chanel leaves room for femininity (which I can not say for so many other designs who are to plane and modernist). You see this femininity in silk and beautiful delicate prints on that silk. Chanel leaves room for the unexpected. Through it is not unexpected to see the normal black/white/beige in a chanel boutique, it is unexpected in the world at large. I wear something Chanel and I stick out. People have abandoned the trusty simple colors for things that are often to fussy and dieing for attention. Chanel allows for descrete luxury ala Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, etc.

 

[nycgirl84]

I don't know if anyone cares, since it's been a couple of weeks since it opened, however I didn't know this thread existed. But I saw the exhibit the day it opened, and I thought it was amazing. As someone said before, it was almost hard to believe that you were standing so close to these one-of-a-kind couture pieces. Everything was, of course, fabulously crafted and the vignettes were set up in a very clean but pretty way that highlighted the clothes. The coolest things to see were some Chinese-style couture pieces Lagerfeld did in the early 80s, I believe, and a couture gown he recreated that Chanel herself actually wore when she was alive. They also showed perfume bottles, make up cases, shoes, and amazing jewelry. So, basically, I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to absolutely go see it. I loved it, and it was totally worth the visit.

 

[helena]

thanks for your review nycgirl84!

 

[Lena]

my mom & sis saw it , i just got the catalogue (and a 2006 Chanel callendar) today but didnt had the chance to have a look yet..
they both loved the original Chanels and didnt like the way Karl moved on..
they also didnt enjoy the fact that mlle Chanel & Karl's pieces thrown together.. but they liked the exhibition on the whole
i'll tell you more on the catalogue when i have a look

 

[helena]

thanks Lena - looking forward to it. Its good to have the feedback. So your mom & sister like fashion too. Thats nice!

 

[Lena]

oh yes, of course they like fashion (runs in the family)
they always go to met and bring me back news/catalogues from the exhibits there..
more soon

 

[fashionyork]

Hello guys

I havent visited this thread in weeks! I dont know if you guys remember, but i posted here some scans Anyways just this past sunday I drag myself to watch the show ( why did i wait so long? to the time my only option was to go in a sunday and in JULY!).

So anyways, i think they could have done much much better! I dont know if it was only me, but i thought the space a little claustrophobic!! The ceilings were way to low and the halls to close to each other so was so overpacked! I was quite disapointed

It was a mission to see everything with that big noise crowd. But still, was cool to see all those 20/30's piece from Coco in person! Anyways, i love the MET, at least i checked it out the new Matisse exhibition

Sorry for dont have the time to read everybody inputs, i will eventually just wanted to share my 2 cents before i run out of time fo tfs again!

hope all the gang here its well Good night guys