Just today, the CHANEL 2020/21 Haute Chow collection "crosses" from the Château de Chenonceau in France, recreating Shanghai and bringing the enjoyment of the finest craftsmanship.
Brand ambassadors and close friends - Zhou Xun, Liu Wen, Chen Weiting, Liu Shishi, Song Qian, Jing Bairan, Xin Zhilei, Zhang Junning, Wang Yibo, Zhang Jingyi and others appeared at the event and chatted with us about CHANEL women in their eyes. Zhou Xun debuted with a classic black coat with a high ponytail style, and when she saw the "Ladies' Castle" high-end handicraft workshop series, she said: "I will think of Gu Xiaomeng in the movie "The Sound of the Wind" that I have acted in, very fashionable, independent, free and fearless. ”
In Liu Wen's view, this "Lady's Castle" high-end handicraft workshop series reminds her of French New Wave female director Agnès Varda. "Her attention to one thing, her awe, and the stories she's been through make it easy for me to associate with the women in the castle."
Chen Weiting handsomely debuted in CHANEL's "Women's Castle" series of activities, and the silhouette jacket with checkerboard elements and casual pants and boots was very attitudeal.
Liu Shishi appeared in a white jacquard wool suit dress, and she also talked to us about the CHANEL female silhouette in her eyes , Ms. Gabrielle Chanel from the movie "Chanel", elegant and charming.
Song Qian's "first impression" of CHANEL also comes from Ms. Chanel. Her choice of silhouette jacket + gauze skirt interprets the other side of CHANEL's feminine spirit: both romantic and elegant, yet free and untethered.
Jing Bairan chose a black coat this time, and a closer look will find that the coat is covered with the jacquard dark pattern of the double C logo, which is chic and stylish.
The "Lady's Castle" series reminds Xin Zhilei of Beth Harmon in "Rear Wing Deserter". "The exquisite embroidery and "craftsman spirit" in this high-end handicraft workshop reminded me of Beth's dedication and seriousness to chess, and I also saw that the design of the "Lady's Castle" workshop contained checkerboard elements, which immediately reminded me of her. "Xin Zhilei's dress today also has a check element.
Zhang Junning mentioned in the interview that this series has a strong mix-and-match style, such as using rock and roll style to match a more feminine element... Let her think of The screen image of Cate Blanchett, there is a queen, domineering side, but also a fragile side, can be like a child, but also can be full of feminine charm, very changeable.
Wang Yibo's combination of a tweed coat in a dark and gray tone and paneled jeans is quite neat.
Zhang Jingyi wore a castle-patterned knitted top and a white tweed skirt to attend the event, and the refreshing and elegant style was very suitable for her.
Every guest had their own ideas about CHANEL, but to read the 2020/21 Haute Chow collection, they had to start with its inspiration.
CHANEL and the Lady's Castle
Virginia Viard, CHANEL's creative director, once said: "Spiritually speaking, this castle is also part of CHANEL's history. "There have been many legendary Renaissance women living in Château de Chenonceau: Katherine Briçonnet, the mistress of Henry II, Diane de Poitiers, queen of France, Catherine de Medici, and so on, hence the name "Lady's Castle".
Catherine de Medici expanded the castle, transforming the bridge connecting the main fort into a banqueting room – the launch site of CHANEL's 2020/21 Haute Chow collection. The geometric aesthetic of the black-and-white checkerboard on the ground, transformed into a pattern, appears on top of garments and bags.
In the June issue of Vogue Clothing & Beauty, the checkerboard suit on the runway appeared, and the outline of the coat was more clearly seen in black and white, showing the power of elegance.
Photo by Vito Fernicola: Danielle van Camp
A glimpse of the castle on the Cher, under the superb craftsmanship of the Montex embroidery workshop, or into a delicate embroidery on the belt...
Or studded in a handbag, a few delicate and shiny mini bags, full of fun.
Another famous woman who lived here, Diane de Poitiers, built an exquisite garden with symmetrical four-compartment graphics that also inspired Virginia Viard to design chic bag buckles or patterns on sweaters.
Craftsmen in dozens of CHANEL's workshops present the rich and varied images of flowers in the garden in different ways, with three-dimensional embroidery or soft weaves.
In terms of aesthetic taste, Catherine de Medici and Gabrielle Chanel are quite similar, and they are very similar to artists, writers, and musicians. On top of that, her signature motif, the interwoven double C letters, is the same as CHANEL's logo. The double C logo that we are familiar with also appears repeatedly in the castle, and it has to be said that "Lady's Castle" has an indissoluble relationship with CHANEL.
Catherine de Medici's Renaissance luxury also provided inspiration, as did Gabrielle Chanel's love of lace lapels and the aesthetics of some of her jewelry.
The grid elements common in Queen Catherine's clothing are presented in a more modern way in this haute couture collection, using pearls and rhinestones to create a sparkling effect.
For example, this long black dress, interwoven with black ribbons, is embellished with gold rivets, adding a sense of strength to the feminine femininity.
The tapestry element in Catherine's bedroom was also inspired to create a new tweed coat.
After the death of Henry II, Catherine de Medici wore only black, and Madame Gabrielle Chanel was the one who broke the mold and entered black into fashion history. A large number of black ready-to-wear appeared in the collection, and black was also evolved into more stylistic possibilities through a variety of designs, as well as leather, velvet, lace and even feathers.
For example, this long black velvet coat, which is worn openly, is reminiscent of François Truffaut's film "The Bride in Black"; the tweed suit "woven" into the jewel, swaying with the model's posture, "flows" dazzling.
Oversized corolla skirts, a slim waistline and a white top embellished with ruffles are all signature features of Renaissance costumes. As Gabrielle Chanel puts it, "The dress of 16th-century women was powerful, individual, timely and bold and avant-garde. ”
Diane de Poitiers
A modern interpretation of CHANEL style
What's even more surprising is that under the new vision of creative director Virginia Viard, CHANEL can be very "mixed". In CHANEL's 2020/21 Haute Chow collection, there's a fantastic combination of a classic tweed jacket and '80s-inspired leggings; a skinny fit and a long, finely embroidered coat.
Tweed appears in a sporty ultra-short design, paired with a pair of textured Mary Jane heels.
The striking "witch hat" in the collection, called "Hennin", is derived from the conical headdress worn by European women in the late Middle Ages. Paired with a contoured coat and a floral long skirt, it presents a new and modern image.
Renaissance coats of arms and coins are transformed into shiny decorations on black velvet dresses, like a collision of romanticism and the spirit of rock'n' roll.
The sturdy denim dress is romanticized with a brilliant print pattern and a classic tweed coat, which surprises you with an unusual combination.
There's also an elegant chidori check with plenty of pearls, and the lightweight skirt is embellished with colorful gemstone necklaces and Byzantine-style bracelets.
Kristen Stewart also appeared in the "Lady's Castle" haute couture series of advertising campaigns, interpreting a different CHANEL style with her unique temperament.
Photo by Juergen Teller
Craftsmanship is the soul of CHANEL
Since 2002, CHANEL has launched the Haute Chow series every year.
So far, CHANEL has acquired nearly 40 art workshops, including embroiderers, feather makers, ruffles, shoemakers, hat makers and glove masters.
It is also through the collaboration of these high-end workshops that Virginie Viard's creativity and design can be perfectly represented like a work of art. For example, the smoky pink coat from the "Ladies' Castle" collection is embellished with meandering gold embroidery, hand-sewn by the Lesage embroidery workshop for up to 155 hours.
Lemarié Camellia & Feather Shop Ruffle Piping is made of silk crepe and ruffled black tulle, which takes 170 hours of hand to create a dense, natural and flexible pleat and piping that takes skilled craftsmen to complete, which is also a tribute to Gabrielle Chanel, who once wore a Renaissance ruffled collar costume.
CHANEL's most representative tweed, very fine silk thread and soft wool, the different thickness, tough materials woven together, itself is extremely difficult, need to pay attention to the overall sense of balance; sequins, chains and other decorations need to be sewn separately by Montex embroidery workshop, so as to ensure that the fabric is shiny and luxurious, but still maintain a sense of lightness.
The top hats in the high-end handicraft workshop are made by the Maison Michel hat workshop, which gives girls in light gauze dresses more free temperament.
Let's take a look at CHANEL apparel jewelry. The presence-giving necklace, which can also be used as an elaborate business card case, is made by goossens gold and silver jewelry.
My favorite gemstone headbands with hanging pearls are so fantastic that you can match them with any style of clothing.
"I like to mix and match everything, Renaissance and romanticism, rock and girly elements, which are very reflective of CHANEL's style." As Virginie Viard said, this is also the biggest charm of THE CHANEL haute chow.