AP/XHINUA – Guests clutching Chanel opera glasses got happily lost as they explored marble staircases to find a stage in the Opera’s outer corridors, filled with red velvet opera boxes designed by French movie director Christophe Honoré.
The stage was set with silhouettes evoking the opera and its heyday: dramatic capes, puffed sleeves and richly embroidered pieces.
The designs’ gleam rivaled only that of the sumptuous 19th-Century atrium itself, with shimmering buttons and brilliant threads reflecting the light.
There were moments of drama, with guests reaching for their cameras (being too close for the opera glasses) to capture a black gown with puff sleeves whose feathers, beading and ribbons gleamed provocatively.
This season, there was a welcome move to less accessorising, a departure from the hallmark of former designer Viard. The focus was on the garments themselves, highlighting the intricate craftsmanship and luxurious materials. Feathers, tassels, embroidered flowers, precious braids, lacquered jersey, supple tweeds, silky velvet, illusion tulle, taffeta, and duchesse satin adorned myriad looks befitting the venue.
Although the necklines were a standout feature – scooped or raised mini-turtle necks – alongside banded, accented shoulders or busts, the collection as a whole had a slightly disparate feel that sometimes seemed to lack a singular aesthetic anchor.
Chanel paid tribute to the ateliers of the “petites mains”, or the dozens of artisans who work in six ateliers a stone’s throw from the venue.
