CHANEL: 2016/17 MÉTIERS D’ART SHOW PARIS COSMOPOLITE

The PARIS COSMOPOLITE 2016/17 Métiers d'art collection takes the Ritz Paris for its décor, a setting cherished by both the House of CHANEL and its founder Gabrielle Chanel.  For this occasion Karl Lagerfeld affirms his attachment to Paris by choosing the Ritz Paris which he considers to be “the cosmopolitan spot par excellence”. From the lobby through to La Table de l'Espadon, via Le Bar Vendôme, the Winter Garden, Les Jardins de l'Espadon and Le Salon Proust, the entire life of this legendary palace hotel is written with the comings and goings of its international clients at lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. And today’s are particularly remarkable: twenty celebrities have glided through the fitting room to create this Café Society ambiance with CHANEL ambassadresses Lily-Rose Depp, Ellie Bamber and Alice Dellal, as well as Cara Delevingne, Sistine Stallone, Georgia May Jagger… all wearing little veils or crowns of roses on their heads, and brogues or suede patchwork thigh boots on their feet. “No camellias this season, it’s all about roses!” declares Karl Lagerfeld. The ambassador of the House Pharrell Williams and Levi Dylan, Bob Dylan’s grandson, complete this exceptional cast.  
 
Very elegant and inspired by “the evening dresses that women used to wear to dine at the Ritz” according to Karl Lagerfeld, this incredibly Parisian collection focuses on a silhouette with a welldefined waist and lengthy godets that caress the calf. Cream, white, navy blue and black along with flashes of red and scintillating golden hues dominate the palette. Embroideries worked to the max, sophisticated sunray pleats, marabou and ostrich feathers reflect the skills of the petites mains who work in the CHANEL Métiers d’art ateliers.  The collection delivers new ultra-feminine versions of the iconic CHANEL jacket, adorned with braids made from pearls or tweed roses, floral embroidery and Plexiglas buttons. The shoulders that open like butterfly wings are finished with epaulettes embroidered with jewelled crystals. Split with two fringed pockets, the jacket adopts an officer’s collar and white trompe l’oeil cuffs and is worn with a wrap-around skirt cut below the knee. Elsewhere the jacket features leather details like a triple belt around the waist.  More than ever the suit expresses a new sense of modernity: its straight-cut skirt alternates with Capri pants; its jacket becomes a spencer worn with a tunic or a bolero over a long dress. It even comes as a double-breasted tuxedo with wide-cut tweed trousers and satin trim. Ample and comfortable coats with bias-cut panels boast large warming collars and maxi-cuffs in tweed, while others opt for quilted or floral and pearl embroidered denim. Short flowing capes in tweed, felt, embroidered denim and even marabou rub shoulders with quilted down versions. Diaphanous skirts in tulle and sunray pleated Lurex skim the ankle. The collection also shines a spotlight on knitwear: a sweater with richly embroidered epaulettes, a backless jacket with embroidery intertwined with cashmere, a jersey with puffed sleeves and knitted embroidery…  
 
Completing the silhouettes, the hobo version of the Gabrielle handbag comes embroidered, in metallic gold leather or tweed. With the ultimate touch of refinement, the iconic 2.55 handbag is embellished with embroidery that echoes the upholstery of the Ritz Paris itself.  
 
In this cosmopolitan Ritz Paris, day meets night with perfect indifference, and vice versa. The trouser suit in chenille velour tweed with a grosgrain braid nonchalantly glides past a dress and cape in marabou with tulle and chiffon petals. The gold sequinned tuxedo is just as at home here as the navy 
satin leather jacket. The plumetis tulle is tipsy with Eiffel Tower embroidery; “Paris is a party!” it seems to say. Dresses are adorned with golden thread, satin or velvet bows, an embroidered crystal mesh or are sheath-like in pleated tulle with smocked bands or swathed in ostrich feathers.   
 
CHANEL and the Ritz Paris unite in a Cosmopolitan Paris that’s bursting with the joyful humour of a Café Society under the kindly direction of Karl Lagerfeld, the perfect alliance to celebrate the Métiers d’art and that Parisian chic, comparable to no other. Celebrities including CHANEL ambassadors Vanessa Paradis, Willow Smith, Gaspard Ulliel, Anna Mouglalis, Caroline de Maigret, G-Dragon, Alma Jodorowsky, Clotilde Hesme and Gwei Lun Mei, as well as Géraldine Chaplin, Bella Heathcote, Rowan Blanchard, Carole Bouquet, HRH the Princess of Hanover and the Chinese actor and singer William Chan attended the presentation of the CHANEL 2016/17 Métiers d'art collection this Tuesday December 6th 2016.