Dubai As a Venue for Cruise Collection
2014 – 2015 Chanel Cruise Show in Dubai happened in between the most theatrical and eccentric shows directed by Karl Lagerfeld. The range of themes was truly wide, nothing was off limits: crumbling theatre symbolizing ruins of culture, supermarket show – a satire on consumerism or highly controversial attempt to engineer fashion show as a feminism protest.
Dubai’s cruise show, in contrast had very relaxed and positive vibes. Dubai, known as the city of the future, exceeded all expectations by hosting the show in a manmade private island owned by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.. The venue itself was built for this show in two months, and was symbolizing an oasis in the middle of a desert. The roof was supported by a forest of artificial palms trees, the floor was covered in tents, bedouin cushions and rugs, creating an authentic Middle Eastern experience. The building had a unique woodwork that created interlinked Chanel logo in arabic style.
In his choice of venues or themes for his shows, Karl Lagerfeld liked to select places that he hasn’t necessarily visited recently, or ever for that matter, as he considered imagination being a powerful creative fuel. He hasn’t reportedly visited Dubai for nearly a decade, which is a very long time for such a new and rapidly growing city. He has been absolutely stunned by the change that he has seen and described it as impossible to imagine just fifty years ago.
Eastern Fusion
Influence of eastern fashion has been always strong in western part of the world – in the birthplace of couture. Fascination with exoticism of the east has transferred into strong influence on the western fashion in the middle ages as the trade developed and international trade routes spread across the world and continues till now. Therefore, Dubai cruise collection was very attractive, due to all the associations with Middle East, such as arabian nights, one thousand- and one-night tale and so on.
There was another reference to the eastern fashion influence in this show that was spotted: Legendary Paul Poiret’s iconic dresses that released women from rigid exaggerated shapes and corsets have been one of the inspirations for this collection. Lagerfeld has commented that he wanted to create something different from the regular 60s, 70s inspirations.
This collection is an epitome of romantic modern orient. Dubai is the perfect destination for this, as it is one of the most modernized eastern countries in the world. Despite being famous for its sci fi skyline, digitization and technological advancement, Dubai also has a lot of oriental influence, be it in architecture or local fashion, which resonates so well with Sir Lagerfeld’s idea of fusion. Being one of the most expensive cities in the world, Dubai is also a huge shopping hub and one of the fastest growing markets so the choice of the city for this show was not only a creative decision.
The collection
One of the first things that stands out is that, the collection was very rich in jewelry. The mix of costume jewelry and accessories was seamless and curious for the eye. Each look had a fusion of French chic and oriental beauty: exaggerated volumous hair with Aladdin style sandals nd mule style loafers, rich accessories and embellishments with straight lines and simple shapes, neutral colors and heavy eye makeup and so on.
The embroidery of this collection was very special, patchworks, decorated tweed, beading created multi-dimensional looks
Sequins had special place in this collection, symbolizing signature skyline of Dubai. They were cleverly placed in hems in several looks.
This collection was dressier than an average cruise collection. Rich embroidery and jewelry is usually more common for haute couture and Metiers d’Art collections. The added sophistication of this collection was a nod to rich Middle Eastern culture. Rebellious Karl Lagerfeld has also kept the collection modest and respectful due to local traditions and culture. This modesty was achieved with multiple layers and opaque fabrics.
Chequered headscarves with keffiyeh print was used as a nod to local culture. Tweeds, the signature of Chanel were colorful and decorated with metal hardware which created the balance against light and romantic vibe of the collection. Something you can always see in Lagerfeld’s collections.
Couple of playful bags were thrown in, such as a bag shaped in oil canister, and totally sparkling bag with flashing lights.
Oriental details:
Lagerfeld has been very careful with the themed motives in his shows. He always used a very calculated degree of the theme related details. This is one of the qualities that make his fashion so unique, when he throws little details into the looks, you become hooked on the collection, trying to spot the details in the seamless blend of the classic Chanel style and unique attributes.
The moon motif was a good example of such a detail used in this collection: consistent but subtle it added the oriental vibes to the looks but also kept them understated. Harem pants and tunique style were also a standout detail, but due to consistent outfit formula of the looks and color palette they were just one of the few cherries on top.
Traditional Little Black Dresses at the End of The Show Featuring Dubai Skyline At The Sequined Hemline
Photos by Marwan Naaman and Gianni Pucci
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