the karl of it all

Chanel Couture: Karl’s ‘Stocking Shoes,’ and Other Shiny Solutions to Our Dirty World

Photo: Imaxtree

Today’s Chanel couture show, titled “The Old World and the New World,” was all about contrasting the grimy, dilapidated present with a gleaming future full of impeccable models. Guests sat in creaky wooden chairs that were painted to look dusty; the effect was so realistic that publicists had to reassure guests like Rihanna and Kristen Stewart that it was indeed safe to park their Chanel-clad butts on them. Meanwhile, the floor of the Grand Palais was strewn with dirt and rubble, and the windows were made to appear broken. Then, when the show began, curtains parted to reveal a gleaming, Oz-type city on a raised stage.

Karl’s utopian future. Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images

Models emerged from this utopian backdrop in stiff, futuristic version of Chanel staples like tailored jackets and long prim dresses, rendered in reflective silver and white fabrics. The prints were pixellated and geometric, while hairdos and hats were square-shaped. The future, according to Karl, is shiny and clean and full of right angles.

Another highlight: What appeared to be some combination of leggings and/or very tight thigh-high boots were actually held up by garters, according to WWD — Karl is calling them “stocking shoes,” which is a mouthful, so we shall call them shockings. Click through to see the full collection in our slideshow.

Chanel Couture: Shiny Solutions to a Dirty World