Haute Couture Fall Winter 2008, Part Two

The second day of the Couture season was just as exciting and surprising as the first. Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel took inspiration from tubes and the pipes of orchestral organs. This was not a soft collection, but was actually quite hard and architectural; it was futuristic dressing from a very modern perspective.

The color pallet consisted almost entirely of various shades of gray with jolts of gold, white, and even pink, but the cool slate gray was perhaps the most memorable and chic, it was the perfect color illustration of the intellectual construction. The models all wore wigs cut to resemble Anna Wintour’s famous bob, and pumps with Lucite heels that gave the impression of walking on tip-toe. This is Couture at its most serious, but that isn’t to say it lacked heart; and if these are the sorts of ensembles we will be wearing in the future as we cruise around in hover cars, then it is certainly something to look forward to indeed.

While Lagerfeld showed his somber side, Christian Lacroix did the exact opposite, and as we have come to expect from the master couturier, he turned out a parade of Couture so extreme and over the top it seems strange that they could exist in the real world at all. Truly, it is a gift to have a man so firmly rooted in fantasy because his are the clothes that make Couture memorable and vital; he designs wearable art. So few of his designs are practical, save perhaps his beautiful painted coat, but Lacroix has no care for practicality, and bless him for it. Who is the woman that wears a Lacroix ball gown, and where does she wear it? It seems not to matter, he inspires lovers of fashion everywhere to dream.

Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy took his audience on a trip to the Andes for his small Couture presentation with leather bomber jackets and traditional Incan knitwear. The first half of the collection was devoted to luxe adventure wear and woven alpaca stripes while the second half looked toward a glamorous evening out with hot pinks and sheer evening gowns so modern and elegant that they may help to redefine event dressing for the discerning woman. Many invitees almost missed the presentation as the Rue Faubourg St. Honore had been closed for a dinner being hosted by President Sarkozy to celebrate his new position as head of the European Union. But fashion stops for no one, and happily, I did not miss a minute of the show.

Check back for more updates about the Haute Couture season, and please visit my website, www.susantabak.com