Chanel Pre-Fall 2010 Paris-Shanghai

[Leeroi]

I know the background is real, but it looks so fake because it's so blurry and the models look so super imposed. Haha.

I think the runway view itself would have looked better in daytime, but I guess Karl was thinking more of a literal approach to night life.

 

[dior_couture1245]

I can't handle Karl for Chanel anymore. The gimmicks are becoming so grating that I can barely stand to look through the entire length of the collection.

 

[dancorpse]

As a pre-fall collection, It's not that bad except for all the green pieces and the hats.
I grant the green look on Baptiste the silliest one, is it supposed to be a tribute to one of the historical movements in China?

 

[mackos]

The background doesn't look good. Watching the runway show they were surrounded by darkness - it was depressing.

I've had the same impression, actually.

 

[sethii]

IMO he should have stuck with the imperial theme it worked best.

 

[seahorseinstripe]

i have to say i must go with the minority, i love the collections, well most of it anyway, not too lovin the green military things, or maybe he's trying to make it as "jade" colour and mix it with the military thing?
but personally i think the collection is quite impressive, it's still predictable but done well. i like the idea how the collection still look chanel instead of the destinated city/country they dedicated it to be.

and yeah, it's cliche, they just opened a new huge store and of course they have to make a big collections to sell there. and china's economy growth is amazing sure they favour the city because they expect a lot of sales there. i also believe they have quite a lot of sales there before they decided to make it this huge.
because honestly, france and america doesn't really contribute much on high-end brand sales lately.

also i would like to say i kinda like the darkness theme, it would be so cliche to put the collection in a classic red gold chinese background kinda way.
there's always some dark side about china to me.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

what is a pre-fall collection? Is this a new term or am I just out of the loop? I thought it was just Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter.

usually, pre-fall and cruise collections are not made directly by the head designer of the house/brand, but his design team. it usually consisted of simple pieces, rehashing customer favorites from previous seasons, pure commercial pieces. they were supposed to SELL SELL SELL. i once read that Cruise and Pre-Fall sell WAY better than F/W and S/S collections, which is why more emphasis is put on those 2 "side" collections.

Cruise is supposed to cater to the clientele who go somewhere warm for the winter vacations and need something to wear there (it's currently Cruise season in retail).

Pre-Fall is, i think, for the first slightly chilly days of Fall and late summer. (Pre-Fall starts in the middle of summer in retail world. that's why you start to see coats when people on the streets are still looking for buy shorts and flip flops)

 

[MUXU]

wow, even the collection is a mess.
all that handy work and random bits of color are all too too much. too cliche and stereotyped of china. especially combined with that hair and the overused farmer's hat and the general styling.
the two men's outfits were dreadful. with the black outfit, you can even see the model's tummy...

 

[LUXXX]

I love the film! The actress he cast for The Duchess is fun.

 

[Boomer]

^ That's not an actress- that's the legendary Lady Amanda Harlech!!

 

[LUXXX]

Oh, it doesn't even look like her! I really enjoyed the film, Heidi Mount was also impressive as Marlene.

 

[mikeijames]

The background doesn't look good. Watching the runway show they were surrounded by darkness - it was depressing.

well, we live in depressing times. his last ready-to-wear collection focused on the dress-up-and-play-poor period of marie antionette's life -- and we all know how that ended. the most recent couture collection pared away almost all flash and dazzle giving us a decidedly unhappy and pessimistic presentation. his last ad campaign waxed super-serious and somber in the vermont countryside. his cruise collection referenced the novel/film "death in venice." so yes, karl lagerfeld has taken chanel to an appropriately fatalistic place to reflect the times in which we live.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Some beautiful pieces. The leather-looking fabric towards the end is incredible.
I was shocked to see that really short hitch-down red dress halfway through.
A lovely, lovely collection.

Btw, Baptiste is so photoshopped onto the background in the photos on page 8. I noticed this as 1 - he didn't pose in the black jacket at the end 2 - I don't remember the long red, fur-trimmed coat at all..

 

[Merveille]

This collection AND and sight of Baptiste makes me cringe.

I mean, HOW stereotypical Chinese can he get? Straw work hats? Lanterns? The embroidery? Chop sticks?
A few of these things as references would be nice but come on.....
I am surprised he didn't have bags in the shape of take-out boxes.

 

[sethii]

well, we live in depressing times. his last ready-to-wear collection focused on the dress-up-and-play-poor period of marie antionette's life -- and we all know how that ended. the most recent couture collection pared away almost all flash and dazzle giving us a decidedly unhappy and pessimistic presentation. his last ad campaign waxed super-serious and somber in the vermont countryside. his cruise collection referenced the novel/film "death in venice." so yes, karl lagerfeld has taken chanel to an appropriately fatalistic place to reflect the times in which we live.

I would distinguish between a depressing aesthetic and a depressing presentation. To me those ad campaigns were starkly beautiful, whereas a catwalk in the middle of a river, with that ugly glass/plastic wall on one side - that is just ugly to see. It must be that they couldn't find, or get permission, to show the collection in a better location so they had to make their own.

 

[Zazie]

The collection is awful, crude and cliche-laden - the designer who "gets" Chinese silks, textures, muted and bright colours, layers, etc. I feel is Dries van Noten. I did enjoy the film though, it's hilariously bitchy.

 

[tung]

I love some of the pieces as it is exquisite and the craftsmanship is unbeatable..it looks expensive (well..it is very expensive lol)

but when I think of shanghai... I would immediately think of qibao qibao and qibao...and a lot of asian flora print like lily..cherry blossom on it...kind of like the jazz age of shanghai. If you know how its like.

as a chinese I can't get the farmer hat and those longggg earring at all....I don't think it interpreted china or asia well but more like a occident fantasy about the orient. The shape of this kind of hat is hard to style well...but Dior new look achieved it though.

and for cultural matter, chinese male would NEVER wear green hat. and I dont think the menswear looks good...as many people say, it is quite....cliche

 

[GiGiBeaumont]

its like their running out of ideas...disappointing

 

[ilaughead]

tung: In his defense, Karl did say that this wasn't about the real China, just about the novelty.

mervielle: Spoke too soon!

style.com

 

[tung]

tung: In his defense, Karl did say that this wasn't about the real China, just about the novelty.

yes indeed