Slide Show: Andre and the Giants of Fashion
Slideshow: Andre Leon Talley at Januik-Novelty Hill Winery on behalf of Vogue and Nordstrom for a fall/winter 2010 Chanel runway show; over $130,000 was raised for Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Henry Art Gallery
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Even before we got downstairs to the wine cellar, where the futuristic, sterile vibe gave the collection’s narrative a storybook setting, the cool, modern architecture at Januik-Novelty Hill perfectly suited the event. Everyone was talking about how Karl would have approved. Coco, I’m sure, as well.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
At the VIP boutique; after the runway show, pieces from the collection were added
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Chanel boots that lent to the luxe Sasquatch look
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
From left: Elisabeth Gessel, in local designer Tina Allen; Shelley Buurman, in a dress from Baby & Co and Chanel boots; and Calidora Skin Clinic CEO Colette Courtion in a vintage leather Chanel top (probably the best piece there)
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Margaret Blair and Roya Haroun
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Roya’s temporary Chanel tattoo
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Jennifer DeLuca and Cindy Paur, friends who came in the same Chanel suit, but they didn’t seem to mind – probably because they each had their own take on how to wear it
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The shoe-gazing was pretty fantastic
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The ice cube handbag that Andre referred to in our interview
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
And then it was down to the cellar. Sure, the icebergs at the Grand Palais in Paris (where the collection debuted) made a nice backdrop, but Woodinville definitely held its own on Wednesday night. Worth noting: Wednesday’s show was the first time the collection was shown since the initial run in Paris.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
A high-shine white rectangular runway wrapped around the gleaming wine barrels, which were easy to reimagine as something slightly more ominous or apocalyptic
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The collection is all about what Mr. Lagerfeld calls "fantasy fur" – it’s not animal fur, but it is meant to evoke a post-modern cavewoman’s closet. This is, apparently, what the well-dressed will be wearing at the end of the world (which may go down, it seems, fall/winter 2010).
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The fantasy fur pants really brought the Sasquatch vibe
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The thing that makes Chanel Chanel, and Lagerfeld such a genius, is that no matter how outre and conceptual things get, the clothes still have a Coco-ness about them
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The classic black and white, the menswear angle, the cuffs. The cuffs! The accessories were amazing.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
And always a little black dress or two
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
The knit coats were fantastic. If that’s what we’re wearing in the next ice age, bring it on.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Lagerfeld, who also designs for Fendi, has said that because that house does such exquisite real fur, he felt that this fantasy fur thing was right for Chanel. I think we’ll all be wearing it in six months.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
There was some great leather, though.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
There’s an icy, Neanderthal vibe to the best accessories in the collection
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
I guess partly because he can Lagerfeld sent out a play on the muffler – a scarf-like accessory with iconic Chanel boucle-covered hot water bottles for each hand.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
We’ll still need bikinis in the next ice age
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
It was surprising to see baby blue angora, and even more surprising to like it.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Again, there were familiar refrains despite the heady concepts
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
I loved all the soft creme knits pieces; almost every look was paired with loosely woven, holey tights
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Now that’s fantasy fur.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Seeing the pieces at close range is such a different experience … and seeing them within a setting and with a story really makes it. The show was expertly produced and executed by the Nordstrom team in tandem with Chanel’s runway producers; the house is known for putting on a show; Chanel doesn’t just send clothes down a runway, and to that end, Seattle held up its end of the bargain.
Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.
Thanks for coming to town, ALT
. Photo by Adam Katz Sinding.