76 – MAY 2015
IMAGES COURTESY OF CHANELin VOGUE
This most enchanting legend was the
fodder for Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris-Salzburg
’14/’15 Métiers d’Art collection, presented
last December in Salzburg. Each year,
Chanel decamps a select group of prestigious
guests to the furthest reaches of the globe for
the presentation of the annual Métiers d’Art
collection. The season sits between summer
and winter and yet the title pre-fall does not
do it justice. This collection celebrates the
savoire-faire of the world’s finest craftsmen:
Lesage embroidery, Lemarié feathers,
Barrie knitwear. The event is much more
than fashion; it’s a breathtaking spectacle.
For those who descended on the small
town – supermodels, celebrities, fashion
folk – it was an immersion into the magical
universe of Chanel. In Salzburg’s case:
flowers and chocolates on arrival, Chanel
products, waltzing lessons, a Sound of Music
tour and Michelin-star dining, all before
a single thread of clothing was revealed.
Guests gathered on the eve of the show
to see the premiere of Lagerfeld’s short
film Reincarnation. The film opens on the
bustling scene of the dining room of
the Mittersill. Coco is there, played again
by Geraldine Chaplin, Cara Delevingne is
cast as the impish waitress and Pharrell
Williams plays the bellboy, sharply suited
in a taupe uniform and red hat.
Then, on screen, as guests take their
leave, something magical happens. The
stately portraits of the Austro-Hungarian
royal family come to life (via Delevingne
and Williams), and the two royals waltz
until morning to the catchy ditty Williams
wrote for the film, CC the World.
Lagerfeld, in all his subversive glory, is
presumably refashioning the classic
Cinderella tale: hotel staff reborn as royalty,
and a uniform becoming a symbol of luxury.
And the next day at the show, the jacket
emerges as the centrepiece of the Métiers
d’Art collection. (Although the wizardry
of the Chanel petites mains rendered this
classic item the most exquisitely adorned,
hand-sewn habiliment.)
Salzburg, as the birthplace of Mozart, the
setting of The Sound of Music and the home
of the summer opera program, the Salzburg
Festival, makes the pretty town an important
destination for Europe’s bon ton. But perhaps
the most magnificent sight is Leopoldskron
Castle, the lakeside rococo palace, which
was (to provide a visual reference) used as a
model for the exterior shots of the family
home in the The Sound of Music.
It is the perfect location for a Chanel
show, and as people arrived on the day, a
fog rolled over the lake in front, shrouding
the house in a wintry cloud. Once inside
the stately palace, attendees were seated in
different rooms – the library, the grand
hall, the Venetian room – each decked out
in chandeliers, frescos and chaise lounges.
Candles burned brightly and tables were
set for a royal feast, laden with fruit,
cheese, pretzels and Viennese cakes.
Fräuleins in traditional garb served tea,
coffee and hot waffles with whipped cream.
Once the music signalled the start of the
show, out came Lara Stone looking regal in
a Victorian lace blouse and a black jacket
and skirt combination, adorned with silver-
thread trimming and frippery. This was therunning theme for the first few looks. And,
of course, there were plenty of iterations of
that jacket, in white, black, teal and grey,
worn with dresses or tailored pants with
a regimental stripe down the side.
Next came chic wool coats with elaborate
embroidery and brocade, paired with plus
fours or suede lederhosen shorts, and
then peasant-style blouses and dresses on
which each minute flower and scene was
meticulously hand-sewn. There continued
flowers and feathers galore: full, feathered
skirts, a long feather cape and the sweetest
dress with embroidered butterflies (each
wing, in fact, a single feather hand-sewn
into the garment).
Clearly Lagerfeld had a lot of fun with
the local dress and he went full throttle
with the traditional Tyrolean hats that sat
jauntily atop some of the model’s heads,
suede spats and dashings of logan green.
Delevingne emerged at one point looking
like an Alpine schoolgirl in a sky-blue
knitted ensemble, tights and all.
The show climaxed with eveningwear –
all black dresses, astonishingly chic – and
raven-haired model Jamie Bochert was
stunning in a silk and feather evening dress
with matching cape-jacket. For the finale,
Delevingne wore a long white dress with
ruffles and a black velvet bow at her neck.
Lagerfeld was on her arm, looking jubilant.
This was, reportedly, a very emotional
moment and kind of homecoming for the
king of fashion. For all guests, it was
impossible not to be swept away by the
romance of it all: the history, the finery and
the absolute fantasy of Chanel. ■Beautiful ceiling
frescoes inside
Leopoldskron
Castle.Models at the
Paris-Salzburg
’14/’15 Métiers
d’Art collection.