Paris Shanghai making of, or the diary of the collection

What will follow is magic. A collection of 12 videos. The making of the Chanel Paris Shanghai 2009/2010 collection. For me watching them was like sneaking in Karl Lagerfeld’s day to day life.

You’ll see a little bit of the entire process of making a fashion collection at Chanel: the atelier, the team, the drawing, the pattern making, the embroidery, the accessorizing, the inspiration and much more. 

Episode 1: Maison Chanel

Episode 2: The first fittings

Episode 3: The ateliers

Episode 4: Coco Chanel’s apartment 

Episode 5: Fittings la Suite 

Episode 6: Maison d’arts

Episode 7: Shooting of the press kit

Episode 8: Departure

Episode 9: Shanghai

Episode 10: The accessorization 

Episode 11: The fashion show

Episode 12: The interview 

New and exciting - the fashion. Old and trashy - the setting.

…I mean the setting of a fashion photo shoot. 

I’ve been often thinking about that perfect setting, that would perfectly emphasize on the garment and silhouette showcased and that would still stay complex enough, when imagining fashion photo shoots. An idea that would come again and again in my mind included a decor of old, ugly and trashy objects, which put together would form a strongly expressive eco-system.

And here I found the perfect example. A fashion editorial that puts together the new and exciting fashion, and the old and trashy setting.  Christy Turlington photographed by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia, July 2010.

Disclaimer: The thought of a setting for a photo shoot often comes to my mind, not only because I’m fond of fashion photography, which is true, but also because creating promotion concepts is an activity a designer often has on his agenda. 

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Designers profile: Holly Fulton

Holly Fulton is a quickly-rising London fashion designer, who graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA (Hons) in fashion in 1999 and debuted at London Fashion Week her A/W 2009 collection.

According to her words, she creates pieces that she ”would want to wear or think is right at the time” and she finds inspiration in, “art deco; pop intense qualities, aboriginal art; jewelery in many forms; collections of all kinds of things, including 60s clocks, Swedish glass, books of any sort and others.”

“The ethos of my work is to capture a couture finish and an attention to detail within ready to wear. I aim to re-interpret the traditions of handwork and the use of techniques within couture into contemporary materials and silhouettes to create strong, cohesive collections of womenswear and jewellery. The use of decorative surfaces is vital within my work and I am constantly endeavouring to create a challenging yet beautiful surface which pushes the boundaries of modern fashion.

My working technique begins with drawing extensively and working through my references with constant re-interpretation. I believe the sheer amount of work and processes involved in producing my work makes it slightly unique. I love the extra dimension working with different materials has brought to my design, from crystallised elements to electrical cables. The scope for future exploration of materials continually pushes me and my work”, reveals Holly Fulton. 

Show of the 1959 Chanel collection

A little bit of inspiration from  history: 

Designers at work: Yves Saint Laurent’s fashion drawings

“Ballet Russes”, Fall/Winter 1976-1977

In the documentary Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times, the legendary designer was revealing these facts about the way he creates through drawing: “When I pick up a pencil I don’t know what I will draw. Nothing is planned. It’s the miracle of the moment. I start with a woman’s face, and suddenly the dress follows, or the garment takes shape. It’s a very pure form of creation, without any preparation, without any vision.and it is what impresses me most. This surge of thoughts. This capacity of creating clothes. No one’s more amazed than me. when the design is done I’m very happy. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Then, you must stop drawing, go and do something else. But you will always come back to the paper and pencil.” 

“Toreador”, Fall/Winter 1979

“Le Smoking”, Fall/Winter 1966

“Homage to Braque”, Spring/Summer 1988

Lagerfeld Confidenciel

This is how Rodolphe Marconi called his film featuring Karl Lagerfeld. Here’s a short preview… and I can’t wait to buy it and see it.

« This film is something not real :  It’s something not real about reality. And I think Rodolphe got it in a very modern pointing way. » Karl Lagerfeld

Synopsis:

Fascinated by the “man behind the sunglasses”, Rodolphe Marconi has been contemplating a documentary about Karl Lagerfeld for over ten years. With the groundbreaking feature film, “Lagerfeld Confidential”, Rodolphe Marconi allows us to see beyond the “Karl mystery”. Karl Lagerfeld himself becomes fully involved in the project, entrusting the director with his everyday life. For the first time Karl Lagerfeld has agreed to let someone create an artwork on his every day life and to trust in the director. Until today there is no authorised biography existing and the memories who Karl Lagerfeld would compose stay perfectly confidential. Rodolphe Marconi immediately started to work after their first meeting. He then associated with Gregory Bernard and the company REALITISM FILMS to finance the project, exclusively due to private investors. After three years of work, and over three hundred hours of footage, Rodolphe Marconi discloses the daily life of the star through his personal lens as a filmmaker. The spectator gains a philosophical insight into his personal history and his obsessions: designing a dress in private, giving public interviews, his time and work as a photographer, his collection of art books, Chanel, Fendi, Lagerfeld Gallery (now “Karl Lagerfeld” brand), the most beautiful women in the world, actresses and stars from around the world. The camera of Rodolphe Marconi approaches a hyperactive lifestyle in the closest way. And we discover between the lines the hidden moments of solitude, sorrow, reading, profoundness. The director discovers an intellectual insomniac with a thirst for literature, films and paintings, a fan of Art Deco and contemporary art; a lover of aesthetics in the extreme as well as luxury. Karl Lagerfeld reveals his caracter : affectionate and authoritarian, humerous, with a longing for farces and make someone laugh, to surprise and to appear always there where you would’t expect him to be. Rodolphe Marconi discovers the shattering moments of a life, a solitary man hurt by the death of the person beloved, a man who however doesn’t bear the nostalgia : « If life was really better before, there would be no reason now to continue ».