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— Karl Lagerfeld brought high fashion to Los Angeles last Friday night when he debuted Chanel’s Resort Line 2008 in, of all places, a Santa Monica airplane hanger. Leave it to Lagerfeld, the same man who showed his last resort collection in NYC’s Grand Central Station, to come up with yet another extreme, dramatic location to showcase his art. “Cruise collections are about dreams of freedom” Mr. Lagerfeld told Vogue magazine just prior to the show, and “L..A. is about the dreams of private jets and beautiful cars and glamor.” Well, there is no denying that the night was packed with all of the above mentioned…the stars were out in droves, and Style.com reports that the collection received a standing ovation before even the first model stepped a peep-toed boot onto the runway. Now that’s a loyal fan-base! Mr. Lagerfeld has found extreme success since taking over the Chanel label in 1983, and I’ve always admired his ability to keep a finger on the pulse of how a modern day woman dreams of dressing, all while keeping his design feet planted firmly in the stylish past of the Chanel Label. In the case of his resort collection, I think Mr. Lagerfeld used color to speak to the adventurous hearts of women. While the designs are beautifully modern and sexy, it was the salmon pink, blood orange, army green, soft gray, and flesh-toned fabrics that caught my eye and I believe captured the modern spirit of the evening. Some looks were monochromatic, others had the color palettes deliciously combined together. All in all, his use of color was edgy and exciting. Even the evening looks, though predominantly black, allowed splashes of white, gold, and even a pair of red coquettish stilettos to act as a breath of fresh air for an otherwise classic color silhouette. Now, to get back to my little quip at the top of the page about the audience… Well, I can’t help but mention that the the famous crowd were mostly bathed in black. I have to give them some slack – it was an evening show – and Mr. Lagerfeld himself was wearing black head to toe. Besides, black and white have been the colors most associated with Chanel throughout the ages. So when you think about it, wearing black was a pretty safe bet. Yet, it will be really interesting to see if this show’s use of color has at least a slight trickle-down effect on how the stars dress for future Chanel and other high profile events. Perhaps they will find a little stylish “freedom” and add some color. To view the entire collection, visit Style.com All photos from Style.com
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