Global warming is so last year. So was the consensus at Paris Fashion Week this morning as Karl Lagerfeld transformed the city's Grand Palais into a make-shift wind farm and unveiled a catwalk created out of aqua-blue solar panels.
The house's signature bouclé suits were updated with high-shine PVC details on collars and cuffs. Beautifully cut jackets cut to swing just above the waistline were teamed with circular A-line skirts. Pearls, a Coco Chanel legacy, were also crucial and served as embellishment on jackets and dresses as well as show-stopping chokers and cuffs.
The designer has form when it comes to setting a scene - previous Chanel sets include an underwater wonderland, a barn lined with hay bales and a melting polar ice cap - but the backdrop on show this morning seemed decidedly low-key.
It was contemporary, of its time, in fact. And so were the clothes. While last season's Chanel offering was a decidedly futuristic and undisputedly a less wearable affair, next summer, Lagerfeld is in perfect step with contemporary culture.
Despite the classic Chanel touches, the entire collection had a modern, technologically advanced feel. Sporty fabrics including lightweight mesh and embossed jersey were relied upon throughout. Transparent PVC and plexiglass lent detail to pointed shoes with ankle straps. A silhouette, which seemed to mirror that which is already popular with today's style fraternity, was key.
Nature also appeared to have been on the designer's mind. For evening, elegant strapless gowns covered in tiny white beads were trimmed with shimmering ivy and thistle motifs, while the designer's chosen soundtrack, sung live by electroband band Chromatics, included a cover of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill.
As famous for his accessories as he is for season-defining shows, Chanel's latest bag offering was among the most eye catching on the catwalk today. While a small, quilted shoulder bag in ivory is likely to delight the house's more conservative followers, a quilted tote bag with a handle created from a large plastic hoop is sure to send die-hard Chanel fans into a spin.
