“We prefer dreams to controversy”: Chanel at Paris fashion week

Like the Eiffel Tower above the city, Chanel's role is to "rise above" Parisian fashion even if blinded by the antics of catwalks like those of Kanye West, said the president of the brand. fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky.

"Fashion week encompasses many feelings of the moment," Pavlovsky said ahead of his show on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. "But at Chanel, we prefer dreams, serenity, to controversy."

Chanel designer Virginie Viard based her latest collection on Alain Resnais' New Wave classic the year last in Marienbad, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1961. Coco Chanel designs the on-screen wardrobe of her star, Delphine Seyrig. The timeless, timeless chic of the wardrobe Chanel created for Seyrig, which included a classic Chanel two-piece suit and black chiffon cocktail dress, was specifically designed to enhance the intricate storytelling of the edgy twists in the timeline of the film, whose story unfolds in enigmatic flashbacks.

The audience at the Chanel show was seated in the cinema in front of a giant screen showing a montage of scenes from the film. Models paraded in front of the screen, wearing clothes that were to go on sale in Chanel boutiques next spring, but could very well have been filmed in 1961. The classic black chiffon cocktail dresses, feminine polka dots and the supple, elongated evening dresses emphasized the timelessness of the Chanel aesthetic. The feather trim of a cream dress worn in the film appeared on several outfits, from evening dresses to tweed suits.

Speaking ahead of the parade, Pavlovsky pointed out the importance to the brand of Chanel's continued commitment to retail rather than e-commerce. "We have more customers coming to our stores, in every location, than ever before," he said. "Chanel is not a product, it is a silhouette and a spirit. The best place to discover the silhouette is in a dressing room. With digital, you can see the product, but you cannot see the The creative energy you feel in a boutique is the best way for us to quantify the value of Chanel."

Pavlovsky added that Chanel's global price alignment strategy, interpreted by some commentators as a first step towards e-commerce, was "the best way for us to organize ourselves in these times of so much economic tension. There's a lot of uncertainty - for example, we're looking at what's happening in the UK - and we have to make sure we create the right conditions for Chanel to continue to be creative."

The December 6, a show in Dakar,