While fashion month has come and gone, the spectacular CHANEL Spring-Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection has yet to leave my mind. As with each season, Monsieur Lagerfeld presented a collection that delighted and inspired in a setting that was no less than a visual feast for the eyes. Titled DATA CENTER CHANEL, the Spring-Summer 2017 collection was a whimsical nod to the vibrant and modern technology driven world we inhabit. With what has seemingly become the hallmark of his storied helming of the House of CHANEL, Monsieur Lagerfeld masterfully mixed the contemporary with the classic resulting in a collection that was both a breath of fresh modernity and a nod to the fabled heritage of Mademoiselle Chanel’s vision.
Unabashedly feminine, the collection featured lace and silk beautifully paired with tweed in the form of soigné little babydolls and negligees topped with bold jackets featuring rounded shoulders, long sleeves, and wide lapels. Lingerie was brought into the world of daywear as lace petticoats, pajama trousers, and silk underpinnings were donned with pieces done in the iconic CHANEL tweed.
With a vibrant color palate of blue, red, yellow, pink, purple, black, and navy, shades were shown in both bold brights and softer pastels. Not simply leaving the designs themselves to celebrate all that is fresh and modern, classic CHANEL finishings were re-imagined in the most fanciful ways. Buttons were replaced with touch fasteners and rubber strands and vinyl strips were interwoven with multicolored tweeds. This marriage of the technology driven modern world with the unapologetically feminine was masterfully represented in ruffle cuffed blouses and silk dresses whose very motifs were inspired by the digital world.
As always, the evening looks particularly resonated for me personally. Diaphanous gowns seemed to float down the runway. As for accessories, always a highpoint of the latest CHANEL collections, the new Gabrielle bag was shown with its double straps slipped around the neck in a elegantly nonchalant way evoking a necklace.
