“Chanel RTW Fall 2019 - WWD” plus 1 more

Chanel RTW Fall 2019 - WWD

Posted: 05 Mar 2019 12:00 AM PST

It started with bells chiming. Not ominous and dirge-like, but bells that chimed brightly. As they rang, the models exited through the door of a charming structure, its signage reading, "Chalet Gardenia." They looked ready to embark on a stroll through the surrounding vast, snowy mountain retreat, but instead took positions in front of the chalet's facade. It wasn't St. Moritz, but a winter wonderland sprung from Karl Lagerfeld's imagination.

Just before, the event's 2,600 guests had milled about. They included celebrities — Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell Janelle Monáe, Kristen Stewart, Stella Tennant among them — and a large contingent of clients who had flown in to pay their respects and take in this moment of fashion history. Done up in their Chanel best, they presented an impromptu treatise on brilliant branding — the looks all unmistakably Karl's Chanel, yet the variety so rich that this diverse band of loyalists could exercise self-expression, from chichi to casual, and even off-beat.

All had settled into their seats well before the models exited Chalet Gardenia. Once the models took their places, a voice announced a minute of silence. The sudden quiet awed, each guest's private contemplation part of a palpable communal tribute. To mark its closure, an audio of a Lagerfeld press interview came over the sound system. In it, he discussed in French his decision to take the job at Chanel 37 years ago. Apparently, he'd initially turned it down. "When they asked me a second time, I accepted because everyone was saying to me: 'Don't do it, it won't work,'" Lagerfeld said. "But it's the first time that a brand became a fashion thing again, apparently, something that you want. Even to the Queen Mother of England….And I will never forget, when she got out of the car" — where this occurred is unclear — "we'd made the decor look beautiful, I can tell you that! A fortune, flowers and everything. And there, she said in English: 'Oh, it's like walking in a painting.' And that, I will never forget."

Then the show started, with the models proceeding down the long, snowy length of the Grand Palais. It was indeed as if they had entered a painting or an impeccably realized movie set. The collection was close to perfect, as well, filled with alluring clothes that somehow felt right for the moment, especially the opening and closing sections. A brand spokeswoman confirmed that Virginie Viard, Lagerfeld's right hand and successor, had continued tweaking the clothes following his death. She was credited in the press notes as cocreator of the collection with Lagerfeld.

Out first: Cara Delevingne, introducing inviting pilings of tweeds. While the palette was sober — black, brown, gray, white — the mood was anything but, a relaxed array of trouser suits, separates and sweater dressing. A key look featured a big coat over slouchy trousers in mismatched tweeds; leaner offerings featured trim coats over skirts over pants cropped below the knees, also in mismatched plaids. The show ended with a litany of fabulous, round-the-clock whites, from puffers to charming feathered cocktail dresses.

In between those two sections came a potpourri of ideas — traditional suits, bright color pops, a Chanel chairlift print on white, a black-and-white passage that also ran round the clock, from a sweater with embroidered Nordic motif over pants to a sleek evening pairing of black top and white trousers, both in sparkling sequins. Throughout, there was plentiful fashion and a fresh attitude to many of the clothes. As the show ended to "Heroes" on the soundtrack, the audience engaged in a long, standing ovation.

So what next? During a couture preview in January, Lagerfeld was fully engaged as always. After the Fendi show in Milan two weeks ago, Silvia Venturini Fendi reported that he had been on the phone the day before he died, issuing directives about the collection. It's safe to assume that he was similarly engaged at Chanel. It's also likely that through much of the design process Lagerfeld was in a weakened condition, and that his right-hand Viard, who now has full creative control, took on more decision-making responsibility than ever before. If so, this collection indicates that Chanel's future is in good hands. We know it's in dedicated hands. Viard deserves wishes for a great solo run after years of dedicated service to Lagerfeld, Chanel and their global roster of clients.

Still, fashion changed forever the day Lagerfeld died. With the power of his personality and his talent, particularly as expressed through his work for Chanel, he bridged eras and captivated generations of star-struck admirers within and outside the industry, a constant Olympian presence in an ever-more frenetic fashion landscape. He stayed relevant by refusing to ever look back, but only forward.

Chanel is now ready to do just that. Post-show, the house e-mailed a press release about the collection. It was descriptive about the clothes and unsentimental. At the show, guests received a different press kit. This one included an illustration that Lagerfeld did several years ago, according to the house spokeswoman. She provided no information on its origins and the occasion for which he drew it, so its prescient quality intrigues. It's a self-portrait of Lagerfeld with Coco Chanel, under the inscription, "The beat goes on…"

It will, it must. But a different beat, to be determined.

[embedded content]

A who's who of designers, business titans, models, actresses and artists — plus a smattering of politicians and society figures — were invited to the celebration, organized by the houses of Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld — a cooperation in and of itself unique — and conceived by theater and opera director Robert Carsen.

"I wanted something full of life and unexpected," Carsen told WWD, adding that the event was designed above all as a "joyful celebration of all things Karl," in keeping with Lagerfeld's lighter side.

As guests streamed in, luxury worlds collided. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault chatted with Alain Wertheimer, the secretive head of Chanel, who had removed his jacket in the balmy venue.

The atmosphere at the Karl Lagerfeld memorial. David Fisher/WWD

Kering ceo François-Henri Pinault posed for photos with Sidney Toledano, chairman and ceo of LVMH Fashion Group, and Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky, and was later seen chatting with Antoine Arnault.

"I knew him personally, not professionally. Salma [Hayek] was close to him and I met him through her," Pinault said. "His studio was 50 meters away from my apartment in Paris, so there were epic moments with Salma. He was so free, and very respectful, very nice when you knew him on a personal basis."

Stella McCartney leaned over a chair to greet Charlotte Casiraghi, while Anna Wintour hugged Ralph Lauren. Valentino Garavani, Alber Elbaz, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Kenzo Takada, Jonathan Anderson, Tommy Hilfiger, Haider Ackermann, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Alessandro Michele were also among the designer contingent.

Garavani recalled they met in the Fifties, when he was just starting out at Jean Dessès and Lagerfeld was already at Balmain.

"We didn't see each other very often, but when we did, it was really the real friendship. He was a fantastic guy with unbelievable ideas. I admired him as a designer and I was very happy to be his friend," he said. "We miss him very much."

"It's a very emotional moment for all of us in the fashion industry," said Elbaz, lauding Lagerfeld's "wisdom and vitality. I find that combination is rare, plus he had incredible energy and was never blasé. That's why everybody is here."

McCartney, who succeeded Lagerfeld at the helm of Chloé, said she was most impressed by his biting humor and sharp tongue — even when she was on the receiving end of it. "His intelligence and his wit is something that I will take away," she said.

Video: The Fashion Industry Remembers Karl Lagerfeld at Spectacular Paris Memorial

"When I went to Chloé, he came out with an amazing statement that I just think is the coolest thing ever: he said, 'I knew they would take a big name to replace me at Chloé, but I thought it would be in fashion and not in music.' So chapeau to you Karl!" McCartney added.

"What I'm expecting of today is what everyone is expecting: to remember somebody who really fundamentally is crucial and was crucial to this industry, and who brought humor and was a zeitgeist of what is and what is to come," said Anderson.

Giant screens and portraits of the designer were displayed around the hall of the Grand Palais, such as black-and-white self-portraits or images of Lagerfeld shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz. "We are in his setting. He owned it 'til the end," said Anderson.

"He was a wonderful man. He loved life," enthused Michele.

"Most of these photos I know; some I didn't," Fendi noted. "It's beautiful." She was standing next to one of the rectangular aluminum bars, arranged in interlocking Ls, a wink to Lagerfeld's design of the double-F logo for Fendi back in the Sixties.

"It's as good today as it was before," she said of the logo. "It's something that will stay forever, which is why we are here today, because someone like Karl will be here forever."

Valentino Garavani and Gigi Hadid Stephane Feugere/WWD

"I prefer Karl looking melancholy," declared Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. "So handsome — young and melancholy, but also looking so tender. I have never seen this picture before."

The photos provided some consolation for Antoine Arnault, head of communication and image of LVMH, which owns the Fendi brand.

"He was someone I knew very well, that I deeply loved. We saw each other frequently over the past 15 years, but it was more than that — he was a friend of the family and we were always plotting things, and we had fun with him. We miss him a lot. But he is here, a bit everywhere — it's nice to see him again," he said.

First Lady of France Brigitte Macron and Princess Caroline of Hanover rubbed shoulders with friends of Chanel such as Carole Bouquet, Inès de la Fressange, Claudia Schiffer, Caroline de Maigret, Carine Roitfeld and Kimora Lee Simmons, who said she was just 13 when she started working for Chanel.

"I was a young girl from St. Louis, Missouri, and he taught me so much about fashion and confidence, and really just going for it when everyone says you can't," she recalled. "When I wore my first wedding gown, I think I cried, I'm sure, all the way down the runway."

Roitfeld chose to focus on happy memories of working with Lagerfeld. "It's about laughing. He always made me laugh and he always called me Madame Roitfeld. And for me, he's not dead, he's still here, and I wore this rose today because I'm sure he would like it. Everything is for Karl, always," she said.

Roitfeld noted that Lagerfeld always protested he didn't want a memorial. "It was not what he wanted, but maybe afterward he would be very happy. You know, you never want that sort of ceremony, I know him, but maybe if it's as good as I wish it's going to be, he's going to be very happy," she added. "I miss him so much."

De la Fressange thought Lagerfeld would have had his word to say about the choice of portraits on display.

Ines de la Fressange Stephane Feugere/WWD

"I imagine that Karl would have hated it! He would have come and said, 'What is this cathedral? How dreadful,'" she said. "There are some pictures that he wouldn't have liked so much because he was not thin, or something. I can hear his voice making stupid jokes and giggling, very probably, about this whole organization."

Yet she said it was impossible not to acknowledge his passing. "I can understand that Fendi, the Karl Lagerfeld brand and Chanel had to do something. He would have understood. And for many people here — customers, journalists, friends — it was important to be all together and talk about Karl," she said.

Singer and actress Arielle Dombasle said she became close to Lagerfeld when he designed the gown for her wedding to French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy.

"We remained friends ever since and I had such great moments with him, when he directed me in his short movies. He gave me all kinds of presents all the time. He was such a sensitive person, very sweet — not at all fake," she said. "He would be happy to be in this place."

The evening featured performances by Pharrell Williams, Lang Lang, Dame Helen Mirren, Charlie Siem, Tilda Swinton, Cara Delevingne, Charles "Lil Buck" Riley and Fanny Ardant, among others.

Swinton, dressed in a tweed peplum jacket and bloomers, recited an extract from Virginia Woolf's "Orlando," one of the designer's favorite works. "Clothes wear us and not we them," she declared. "They change our view of the world, and the world's view of us."

Tilda Swinton on stage. David Fisher/WWD

Delevingne, dressed in a fluffy pink feathered dress, took to the stage to recite a poem about cats by French writer Colette, one of Lagerfeld's favorite authors, as images of the designer's beloved pet Burmese, Choupette, were shown on the screen.

Mirren read excerpts of "The World According to Karl: The Wit and Wisdom of Karl Lagerfeld," a book of quotes by the designer published in 2013, alongside Siem, who punctuated every quote with a piece of music.

"'When people show their ass, that doesn't bother me. When people show their feelings, that bothers me,'" she deadpanned, quoting the book. "Personality begins where comparison ends," she declaimed in French.

Lang performed Chopin's "Waltz No. 1 in E flat major" on a Steinway piano designed by Lagerfeld himself, while Williams sang "Gust of Wind" from his album "Girl," before shouting for everyone in the audience to "stand up for Karl" and to make the V sign for Lagerfeld.

The ceremony was peppered with clips of Lagerfeld speaking to camera, starting with a montage of him interviewing himself. "I don't deliver a description of my person. You have what you see — there's nothing behind," he demurred.

Pharrell Williams David Fisher/WWD/Shutterstock

Music, movement and the rhythm of the body were a great source of joy, inspiration and amusement to Lagerfeld. "The rappers are the nicest to me, they ask for autographs and want to shake my hand," he said in one clip.

Lil Buck, the American dancer, actor and model who specializes in a style of street dance called jookin, delivered a sensational performance. He danced, whirled, twisted and bent his limbs as if they were elastic bands to music by Ryuichi Sakamoto from the film "Merry Christmas, Mister Lawrence."

Lagerfeld was known for his love of tango, and in particular the Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel, whose portrait flashed onto the screen at one point, followed by two separate performances by the German Cornejo dance company and orchestra.

While he danced himself, Lagerfeld couldn't play an instrument — a never-ending source of frustration. "There is nothing worse than those who are not gifted trying to play," he said.

Wintour kicked off the video homages. "He was the original multitasker, a man who did everything at once," she said. Dozens of others followed, including fellow designers Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Simon Porte Jacquemus, Kris Van Assche, Clare Waight Keller and Marine Serre.

"Karl made the fact of reviving an existing house possible, so he opened up the path for all of us who are now for reviving existing houses," said Van Assche. "He made this idea possible that somebody can make an interpretation of an existing DNA. I guess that idea comes from him."

Anderson noted that although Lagerfeld was from Germany, he came to be known as the epitome of French style.

Performers on stage. Francois Mori/AP/Shutterstock

"He's one of the truest examples of being able to come to a country, and embody it. Sometimes it's very difficult to be a French designer if you're French, because you don't see the irony in something. You don't see the baguette, whereas Karl saw the baguette," he said.

Waight Keller remembered Lagerfeld's spitfire text messages.

"Every interaction that I ever had with him, his mind was so fast. I remember, we were texting each other about something. The minute I would press send, within 30 seconds I had a full response, and then I'd ping something and it came straight back again. The mind was so sharp, just an incredible focus," she marveled.

Lagerfeld's inner circle was also represented: his butler Frédéric Gouby, his longtime spokeswoman Caroline Lebar, his muse Amanda Harlech and his favored model Baptiste Giabiconi, who described how he asked Lagerfeld to cat-sit Choupette and never managed to retrieve his pet.

The most moving testimony came from Virginie Viard, who worked alongside Lagerfeld for three decades and succeeded him as Chanel's new artistic director.

"Karl is probably the person I've spent the most time with in my life. To me, he was accessible. My opinion counted. Above all, he loved my energy and my ideas, and he showed it. Together, we created the most beautiful collections that we could and today, I'm trying to continue so that everything is perfect for him," she said.

Princess Caroline described their friendship as undemanding. "There was just pure joy. We were so part of each other's lives in a very enriching and extremely easy way — just sheer fun, and absurd and hysterical situations," she said.

The event contained video tributes from executives including Arnault; Pavlovsky; Toledano; Serge Brunschwig, ceo of Fendi; Pietro Beccari, ceo of Christian Dior, and Pier Paolo Righi, ceo of Karl Lagerfeld.

Bruno Pavlovsky (President of Chanel), Brigitte Macron and Sidney Toledano David Fisher/WWD

Wertheimer allowed himself to be interviewed for the first time. Asked why he hired Lagerfeld in 1983, he said the designer came recommended by former Chanel executive Kitty D'Alessio, who said of Lagerfeld: "Above all, I was seduced by the prospect of having conversations with him."

He noted the designer never considered fashion as art, and didn't take things too seriously. "It started as a business relationship, and it very quickly became pure friendship," Wertheimer said.

Arnault compared Lagerfeld to Picasso, noting that he managed to set trends for decades. "Karl used to say that the most important thing in life is to reinvent yourself. Some of the things he said, I felt very close with. For example, he often said he was never satisfied with his work. I'm the same," he said.

Photographs and clips illustrated the many facets of Lagerfeld: photographer, publisher and even ballroom dancer.

The screen also displayed some of Lagerfeld's most memorable shows for his three fashion houses, from the Fendi show held on the Great Wall of China to the multiple transformations of the Grand Palais, which he turned into a beach, a supermarket, a forest, or in which he installed a gigantic cruise ship or a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

After the show, a tearful Harlech was swarmed with well-wishers. She said her favorite moment was a clip of Lagerfeld cracking up as he repeatedly spoke German instead of French during an interview for TV channel Arte.

"It was so funny the way he kept stamping his feet! I laughed so much when I saw that on the screen," she said.

Takada was similarly moved. "During the performance I thought a lot about Karl and I really laughed," said the 80-year-old designer, who met Lagerfeld in the Seventies. "I really felt a lot of emotions."

Fendi summed up the feeling of many guests when she spoke on screen about how hard it was to accept that Lagerfeld — who was notorious for always being late — was truly gone.

"I still ask myself, 'What would Karl think about that, what would he do if he was in my place?' The thing today for me, it is difficult to think that he's not there. Because he was always late, I always think that he will arrive. Maybe this time he's a little bit more late than before, but he will show up," she said.

More on Karl Lagerfeld:

Chanel's Bruno Pavlovsky on Life After Karl Lagerfeld

The Industry Shares Their Favorite Memories of Karl Lagerfeld

Bridget Foley's Diary: Karl Lagerfeld: A Remembrance

Video: Remembering Karl Lagerfeld's Prolific Fashion Career