Chanel, Fall 2014 – 2015 Ready to Wear Collection (Supermarket Show)

Chanel 2014 – 2015 ready to wear show is one the most extraordinary show setups in fashion history. Karl Lagerfeld was a master of extravagant stage constructions, he has re-created rocket ships, museums, rooftops and cruise liners in his shows.

The Guardian called it “arguably his finest runway reimagining to date.” 

Grand Palais was transferred into a Chanel-themed supermarket for this show.

The shelves of the supermarket were stacked with more than a hundred thousand actual everyday items, from washing detergents to tuna cans. All had been re-labelled in “Chanel themed” names.

The purpose of the theme was a celebration of the consumerism era, which was perfect background for the brand’s most democratic collection. Fashion is a supermarket – was the main idea.

Surprisingly, supermarkets are one of the inspiration sources for fashion designers. Before creating their new collections, fashion designers are searching for inspiration in the streets. Street fashion is a broad concept, you can witness it everywhere. People in libraries, coffee shops, museums, parks and supermarkets. Everybody goes to supermarkets, you can see people popping in after work on their way home, coming down from their apartments, after catching up with friends, or doing comprehensive weekend shopping for the whole week. Hence you can see people dressed in all kinds of styles and different occasions.

It was almost exclusively a Sport collection. Triumph of sport was everywhere: tweed costumes or jackets combined with trainers or lace up boots, metallic leggings and quilted leather jackets.

One of the aims of the show was popularizing the Chanel trainers. The trainers and flat lace up boots were used with all looks, making them as relatable as possible – even with classic suits and elegant dresses.

The element of chic was added with beautiful classic Chanel bags and layered pearls and chains.

A lot of street culture was borrowed for this collection. Crimped ponytails decorated with ribbons had touch of femininity, but were also reminding of dreadlocks

The looks were cool, “just popped for some milk” silhouettes that were extremely chic and feminine yet still casual.

Link to watch the show:

Photo credits: Yannis Vlamos, Bennoit Tessier and Stephan Mahe