Karl Lagerfeld’s Fall/Winter 2015 collection for Chanel was an adoring ode to the house’s late founder and Parisian café culture of the early 20th century. Guests arrived at the Grand Palais to find themselves immersed in an authentic, old-style Parisian brasserie – coffee and croissants, included.
Tweeds, plaids, and herringbones were aplenty, while jackets took on a ‘puffier’ shape for the chilly winter months and skirts fell primarily below the knee, a silhouette that transported viewers back to Chanel’s early days. The French house’s trademark beige and black, cap-toed, sling-back heels were the focal point accessories of the season; giving an elegant sense of continuity among the collection’s many looks.
In true Lagerfeld fashion, the Brasserie theme was cleverly referenced throughout the show, in handbags that resembled menus, wrap around skirts covered in miniature mosaic floor tiles and dresses embellished with doily’s one might find resting under their café au lait. Couture-level techniques were employed in surprising manners, such as intricate, origami-like quilted sleeves that mimicked the ancient art of Japanese Shibori knotting, adorned with tiny, pronounced bows.
The looks were feminine, but not blatantly so, a nod to the understated androgyny Chanel herself was known for- a delicately pleated pink blouse was the only explicitly ‘girlish’ piece throughout the collection. For Fall/winter 2015, Lagerfeld succeeded in achieving classic modernity thought his futuristic, fashion love letter to Gabrielle Chanel.

References
- 1
- 2
Paco Rabanne
1966
Edward Hopper
Nighthawks, 1942

Félix Vallotton
Street Scene

Josef Hoffmann
Brooch, 1907

Michael Thonet
Rocking Chair, 1860-1900

Veruschka by Richard Avedon
US Vogue, March 1967

Adolf Loos
Cafe Museum Chair, 1898
Adolf Loos
Hanging Lamp, 1900

Cilla Ramnek
Floor

Édouard Vuillard
The Repairer, 1891

Félix Vallotton
La Paresse, 1896

Gianni Penati
Vogue, April 1969

Josef Hoffman
Grid Basket, 1910

Josef Hoffmann
Card for the exhibition of Wiener Werkstätte,1905

Kronenhalle Bar with Giacometti
Lighting Fixtures, Zurich, Switzerland

Piero Manzoni
Achrome, 1962

Pilar Crespi
Vogue, 1972

Robert Mallet-Stevens
Rue Mallet Stevens, 1929

Terrace of Cafe
Paris, 1925

References
Paco Rabanne
1966
1 of 19

Edward Hopper
Nighthawks, 1942
2 of 19

Félix Vallotton
Street Scene
3 of 19

Josef Hoffmann
Brooch, 1907
4 of 19

Michael Thonet
Rocking Chair, 1860-1900
5 of 19

Veruschka by Richard Avedon
US Vogue, March 1967
6 of 19
Adolf Loos
Cafe Museum Chair, 1898
7 of 19

Adolf Loos
Hanging Lamp, 1900
8 of 19

Cilla Ramnek
Floor
9 of 19

Édouard Vuillard
The Repairer, 1891
10 of 19

Félix Vallotton
La Paresse, 1896
11 of 19

Gianni Penati
Vogue, April 1969
12 of 19

Josef Hoffman
Grid Basket, 1910
13 of 19

Josef Hoffmann
Card for the exhibition of Wiener Werkstätte,1905
14 of 19

Kronenhalle Bar with Giacometti
Lighting Fixtures, Zurich, Switzerland
15 of 19

Piero Manzoni
Achrome, 1962
16 of 19

Pilar Crespi
Vogue, 1972
17 of 19

Robert Mallet-Stevens
Rue Mallet Stevens, 1929
18 of 19
