Chanel “Hacks” Paris Fashion Week

The spring fashion craze has migrated from New York to Paris. How fitting it is that the company making the biggest splash on the Parisian runway is France’s own, Chanel. A passionately futuristic company in recent years, Chanel transformed the Grand Palais into a data storage center for their show this week. Giant computer processors formed the aisles down which models would walk. Openings in the maze of circuitry boards and wiring hosted the guests, a vast assortment of designers and celebrities including Courtney Love and Usher. Whether or not rows of rows of data storage sound like a good backdrop for hip new fashion, let’s take a look at the actual clothing pieces. Here are my top five Chanel debuts from Paris.

THE ROBOTS
While the likes of Daria Webowy and Cara Delevingne usually start Chanel shows, this year the accolade went to two unknown models dressed as Chanel robots. The surroundings clearly hinted this year’s runway might be a little different, but we didn’t expect it to start with Chanel-clad stormtroopers! Sorry, robot-lovers. The clothes on these mechanical ladies are for sale, but the futuristic robot outfit is not.

SWINGY JACKETS AND BOLD SKIRTS
I think Shock and Awww do swingy jackets much better, but Chanel’s multi-patterned skirts are worth a mention. Most models on the Paris runway were decked out in these two items, lighter skirts layered underneath bright, bold swingy jackets. The jackets aren’t bad, they just don’t pop with the energy it seems they should.

FLAT BRIMMED CAP
The baseball cap permeated every look during Chanel’s Paris runway. Was it in recognition of the MLB post-season? Was it an attempt to fuse streetwear with higher fashion? (I suppose that is what everyone is doing these days.) Chanel couldn’t quite make it work as smoothly as they wanted to. The hats and the robots were the lowest points of the show.

TECHNO BAG
If you’ve got a neon jacket on over top a bright, busy knit skirt, the new Chanel handbag will finish off your outfit with a bang. Their new techno purse features light-up exteriors embedded in the front opening. The lights move, gathering together to form the iconic Chanel logo every few seconds. Can you have too much bling on a bag? Yes. Is this too much bling? I don’t think so, but not everyone loved the 80s like I did.

COMFY SHOES
You can stop me. You can make me go back and double-check my facts. When has a fashion line ever decided to let its models wear comfortable shoes on the runway! Chanel should win a prize for their humanity. Low, block-heeled pumps with ankle coverings may have run a little narrow, but the design was hundreds of times better to walk around in than high heels. If this trend catches on, maybe we can finally kiss our aching feet goodbye. Wouldn’t that be something!
Sometimes, it’s nice to have a simple show with few hiccups and no offensive or ‘edgy’ experiments. On their home turf, Chanel has given us some great new looks. I’m beginning to believe in fashion again, Paris! I’m sure this feeling will last until I open my closet tonight. A few short hours of ecstasy. Yes!