From The Straits Times    |

Photo: AFP 

Since 2002, Chanel has been paying tribute to the exceptional skill of a handful of craft houses with a fashion show held each December. From the feather workers of Lemarié and glove-maker Causse, to embroidery specialists Maison Lesage, hat-maker Maison Michel, boot-maker Massaro and manufacturer of buttons, jewelry and accessories Desrues, the skilled workers of these outstanding houses bring to life a collection of prestigious pieces presented in a location somehow linked to the history of Chanel.

Dallas, Paris, Salzburg

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In December 2002, Chanel presented its first Métiers d’Art collection in the brand’s haute-couture salons on the French capital’s rue Cambon. It was two years later that the fashion house decided to associate the show with a world city, staging the Paris-Tokyo show in the Japanese capital.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld then decided to take this exceptional collection on a world tour, designing sketches in honor of New York, Monte-Carlo, London, Moscow, Shanghai, Byzantium, Bombay and Edinburgh.

Photo: AFP 

The Métiers d’Art shows grew in scale over the years. The Paris-Dallas show, staged in 2013, in particular, left its mark on the fashion world. Again, the show’s location was symbolic, since Gabrielle Chanel was awarded the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion in Dallas in 1957.

Salzburg and Rome were the destinations selected by Karl Lagerfeld in 2014 and 2015. The creative director then showed the 2016-2017 Métiers d’Art collection in Paris, at the Ritz — the five-star hotel where Gabrielle Chanel lived and which now has a suite named in her honor.

Indeed, Chanel’s previous Métiers d’Art shows have been presented in emblematic locations, evoking pivotal moments in the history of the fashion house and its founder. This year’s Métiers d’Art show was no exception, although this time it was Karl Lagerfeld who was in the spotlight, since the show was held at the spectacular Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, the designer’s hometown.

 

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