If you wouldn’t like
to wake up, in your wildest dreams, to a Christmas tree like this, then you are
probably reading the wrong Blog. If so, it was lovely to meet you. If it’s your
idea of festive heaven, read on….
We obviously all love
a bit of Netflix. Netflix and Chill actually means watching the TV while
it’s cold, snuggled up in our fave PJ’s with our best Fake Bake self tan developing
nicely underneath. We also love a good fashion based film, and we recently
adored the McQueen documentary about the late, great Alexander
McQueen. We enjoyed The First Monday In May, about the
infamous New York Met Gala. So when we heard the man behind that
particular film had taken to the house of Chanel to go BTS of its Spring/Summer
couture show, we had to have little sit down. Andrew Rossi, we
salute you!
The film itself is
called 7 Days Out, and spends a week at the world’s most famous Paris
couture house, filmed at the Grand Palais, and also gives
no-holds-barred access to Karl Lagerfeld at work at the Chanel Atelier,
which first opened in 1910, under the beautifully observant eye of Gabrielle
‘Coco’ Chanel. So what is it about this label that still has us in its
thrall, over a century after Coco set to work?
The documentary is all
about the genius of Karl, who came to the house in the early 1980’s and
revitalised it. He took all of the signature Chanel styles and trademarks,
including monochrome and those interlocking C’s, and added a touch of
street style to make the brand totally modern. In a decade where decadence was
key, Chanel became the label to be seen in. Young, upwardly mobile professional
girl bosses suddenly wanted to be head-to-toe in Chanel.
When the supermodels
came along, Karl took a more subtle approach than his rival over at Versace,
but the girls still absolutely rocked the look. Karl was known for
travelling around major cities and nightclubs all over the world, and sketching
inspiration from what he saw.
Christy Turlington
and Linda Evangelista became
famous for their duo Chanel campaigns. And no matter what the current
trend, a golden glow was always the extra accessory. If Coco invented
the tan, then Karl kept it in the spotlight.
While Versace made
the supermodels colourful, Chanel captured them in traditional
monochrome mixed with biker chic, photographed by Peter Lindbergh. Would
we wear these looks today? Hell, yeah!
Karl created a legendary campaign in 1991 based
around beachwear, and from surfboards to cycling shorts, either dressy
or casual, he created something so special that it became the inspiration for
his recent beach inspired collections.
If you are an Insta
fan, you will have definitely spotted influencers in these bikinis, as once
worn by supers Cindy C and Claudia Schiffer.
Over the years, Karl
has embraced every type of media, model and celebrity, and often photographs
the Chanel ad campaigns himself. Now in his ninth decade, he shows no
sign of slowing down and yet he takes the whole process home, designing in the
rooms that Coco once lived in. She would watch her shows from atop the
famous Chanel staircase, which is the ultimate fashion spot for any
style star. Just ask Victoria B.
On the red carpet, Chanel
only dresses the best, and created one of Jennifer Lopez’s first Oscar
looks, which set the tone for the her future style status. Golden glow to
add. Check?
In fact, whether it’s
in print or on the catwalk, the Chanel girl is all about the golden
gleam, although we know that as models look after their skin now, the only
thing faux on the Chanel Runway are the tans…
Everyone who is anyone
has been in an ad campaign for Karl, including Kate Moss and Gisele,
and this season Karl chose Penelope Cruz to advertise Chanel Cruise.
Keeping his finger on the pulse, Karl has aimed at being more diverse,
and so regularly features women of varying backgrounds and age ranges.
Of course, if your
bank balance is all about the zeros then you can clad yourself in Chanel whenever
you fancy. For the rest of us, we all still want the ultimate arm candy: the Chanel
2.55. And looking forward to next season Karl wants to take us
back to the beach, sure la plage, and be inspired by that early 90’s beach
chic he created, whether its casual a la Kaia Gerber, or something a
little more structured for the ultimate occasion look.
This year, we are
hoping to get the new, limited edition Red Chanel No. 5 under our trees,
and a bag, of course, would be even better, topped off with one of our
own Fake Bake gift sets, and we are going Double Dark in
honour of Coco and Karl, to create the perfect Red and Gold Christmas.
Until then we will
have to be patient as the film launches just before the Big Day, so we are
getting our supplies in and dreaming of a Lottery win at the same time. And you
know that thing about summer bodies being made in winter? Well, we agree. We
are going to look exactly like Cindy C next summer in our double C
bikinis. If Cindy inhales mince pies for brekkie that is. Come on,
surely she does?
All images courtesy of Chanel, Chanel Archive and
Peter Lindbergh
7 Days Out launches on Netflix on the 21st December
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