Inspiration

For Chanel’s spring 2012 couture show, Karl was feeling blue in a major way.  Aquatic hues adorned feminine garments with masculine details, a nod to the design aesthetic of Miss Coco Chanel herself.

Top Trends

The extensive collection threw out three definite trends.  Every look shown featured either a dress, or skirt, of varying lengths. Mini’s, midi’s and maxi’s showed just how versatile these pieces could be, without a trouser in sight.  Dropped waists were abundant, lower even than those of the Flapper dresses in the Twenties, Mr Lagerfeld juxtaposed this seemingly masculine element with decidedly girly designs.  The third trend? Perhaps the most obvious – blue. Light, mid or dark, this is one colour that will definitely be making a splash come springtime…

Accessories

Shoulder skimming earrings provided a sparkling accompaniment to each look, whilst the pointed heels came complete with triple ankle straps. It wouldn’t be couture if there wasn’t a stylistic flourish and this came in the form of feathered headpieces created in, you guessed it, various shades of blue.

Favourite Looks: Due to the sheer size of the typical Chanel collection it is always difficult when it comes to narrowing it down to favourites.  The white ankle length dress, in Chanel’s trademark boucle fabric, with matching jacket, was truly exquisite, whilst the powder blue shift dress with gumball-esque detailing across the shoulders and pockets was definitely a personal favourite.

Thoughts

Where Karl goes others always follow, which means we will more than likely be seeing a lot of blue in the ready-to-wear collections in the future. Despite it featuring heavily in the Chanel couture collection, it was done in such a way that meant you still couldn’t pinpoint exactly what shade the next look would feature, lending the collection a surprising unpredictability.  A beautiful collection, as to be expected, and the fact that the show itself took place inside a specially created Chanel private jet? Truly genius.

LUCY TOPPING
A fashion student, freelance writer and tumblr addict, who is hoping to work in the wonderful world of fashion magazine publishing in the very near future.
Blog: http://style-centric.blogspot.com
Twitter: @lucy_topping