chanel.

Never on this blog have I sung Chanel's praises. I mean, there is an unspoken mutual agreement that the Chanel name is revered and respected worldwide. & yes, there are times when Karl Lagerfeld has played the wildcard but he continually pushes his creativity to depths other designers merely dream about. This collection, those depths extended to all things marine, with an under-the-sea theme being evident from the offset. The total grandeur of the Grand Palais was magnificent, on a massive scale. The urge to add the video was unbearable alas, & I know it's lengthy but I promise it's worth those 15 minutes of pure brilliance.

The theme was not too literal, although pearls did feature heavily in the form of hair-embellishments, belts & even interpreted into an oversized clutch. The pearlised paillettes adorned tweed jackets & (that eponymous) 50's silhouette dresses alike. Delicate layers of mille-feuille panels added a touch of intricacy, & the backless jackets brought a contemporary edge to this fine collection. Never mind those Chelsea boots, which were simply incredible, a little androgyny thrown into the mix too to offset the sometimes overtly feminine pieces.

The make-up was kept simple, a pearly white shadow shot through with pink, a simple slick of black gel liner on the top lash line, natural brows , a very nude lip (it looks like a rose-coloured rip with perhaps a little clear gloss) & a peachy-pink blush kept simply to the cheekbones. I always appreciate Chanel, but this time I'm distinctly impressed.