Rome's Cinecittà cinema complex
has played host to Chanel's 12th Métiers d'Art show and Karl
Lagerfeld's presentation of his "Once and Forever" short film on
Coco Chanel.
The Chanel extravaganza that played out Tuesday night for a
selected 800 guests at Cinecittà's studio number 5, Federico
Fellini's favorite, unraveled along the threads of a special
connection between Lagerfeld, Chanel and the Eternal City.
The high-impact setting that is so much part of the Chanel
storyline at fashion shows - the Paris-Rome subway station and
the foggy, romantic rendition of a corner of Paris - spoke about
Lagerfeld's relationship with the Italian capital, which dates
as far back as 1963 with his debut designing for the couture
house of Tiziani.
And it hinted at Coco Chanel's little-known role as a
designer for the movie stars favored by iconic Italian
filmmakers Luchino Visconti and Pier Paolo Pasolini, such as
Anouk Aimée and Monica Vitti.
Indeed Lagerfeld preluded the show with an open-air premier
of his short film in which Kristin Stewart and Geraldine Chaplin
played Coco Chanel in a biopic of the revolutionary designer.
The history of moviemaking was behind Lagerfeld's rendition
of Italian Neo realism mixed with a French noir vibe that oozed
subtle yet rebellious eroticism.
Models sporting very Brigitte Bardot-like demi-beehives
strutted in lace-covered stockings, their feet clad in cap-toed
black-and-white mules.
With the Métiers d'Art collection annually showcasing
special-edition pieces that highlight Chanel's craftsmanship,
the house's aesthetic was at its purest with jackets ribbed with
strands of pearls and skirts featuring the matelassé quilting of
a classic 2.55 handbag.
The Rome-Paris thread connected the semi-transparent black
lace dress with the prissy white collar - the sexy French style
filtered through the Roman setting.
There was an artful play on refinement and ostentation -
the fine metallic embroideries on caped silhouettes versus a
pink petal dress that seemed to nod at Rome's historic
couturiers such as Roberto Capucci and the Fontana sisters.
Hints of Vatican majesty could be detected in the high
collars and the richly crafted capes, yet the emotional charge
was a very black-and-white Parisian affair.
On the sidelines of the classic ready-to-wear and couture
calendars, Chanel's Métiers d'Art show has paid homage every
year since 2003 to the label's network of 11 artisan houses
including Desrues, Lemarié and Lognon, among others.
The ateliers, all bought by Chanel since 1985 are each
masters in a particular sector of craftsmanship, from embroidery
to lacemaking, feather work and leather.
The Métiers d'Art collections have toured the world with
previous showcases in Salzburg last year, Dallas in 2013,
Linlithgow, Scotland in 2012, Mumbai in 2011, Shanghai in 2009
and Moscow in 2008.
As the fine craftsmen who expertly worked on this latest
collection finished it in the aftermath of the November 13
terror attacks in Paris, its quality and elegance on Tuesday
night read as a testament to a great French tradition.
It was Lagerfeld's love letter to Paris and France, sent
from Rome.
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