fashionologie

fashionologie — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:35:32 PST

>> INSIDER WIRE -For his Chanel Pre-Fall Paris-Moscow collection, Karl Lagerfeld is pulling a Stefano Pilati. The presentation Dec. 3 - in Paris at the Theatre du Ranelagh, not in Moscow - will open with a "laugh-packed" silent movie, loosely based on Coco Chanel's life between 1913 and 1923. Lagerfeld muses Lady Amanda Harlech, Brad Kroenig, and Tallulah Ormsby-Gore are all involved - Tallulah plays a Chanel model who has to sell her real-life mother, Amanda, a hat. [WWD, WWD]
*image: source

Karl Lagerfeld Is Back With Another Coco Chanel Short Film, This Time Set in Shanghai

fashionologie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:28:56 PST

>> For last year's Chanel Pre-Fall "Paris-Moscow" collection, Karl Lagerfeld directed a ten minute silent film, with Edita Vilkeviciute starring as a young Coco Chanel. This year's Chanel Pre-Fall collection, which was dubbed "Paris-Shanghai," debuted in the latter city today; Karl directed a new short film for the occasion, with Edita back as young Coco in a more expansive 22-minute set, this time with dialogue. Heidi Mount, Freja Beha Erichsen, and of course, Baptiste Giabiconi, join her in the tableau, which was projected against the Shanghai cityscape as part of the presentation.

Video: the film! »

Karl Lagerfeld Hates Swans, Borscht, and Cell Phones, But Likes Naomi Campbell's Boyfriend

fashionologie — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:35:25 PDT

>> May was a whirlwind month for Karl Lagerfeld. He staged a cruise show in Venice, spent some time filming a ballerina while talking swans - "They are the meanest animals in the world, you know. I had problems with them as a child. They hate children. I was caught by one, so I know" - and how dancers are favorable to actresses - "Elena [Glurdjidze], she made everyone here [at the tutu fitting] happy today. And you don't get that from actresses, when they come, hmm? Elena has charm. Others, not so much. Don't ask me names."

Then, he finished up the month in Moscow - visiting the city for his first time ever on Thursday - for a presentation of Chanel's Paris-Moscow collection which first debuted last December; the show marked the first time a Chanel collection has been located in Moscow since 1967.

It must have been a short trip - he didn't even have time to do sightseeing at the Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral, which were near his hotel. “Moscow is a city I knew quite well without coming here because I’m an informed person - there are so many books, novels, photos, that in a way I know it . . . I have a feeling I know exactly what is in every museum,” Karl quipped. He explained that he prefers imagining a place to visiting it: "You’re never disappointed by your imagination, but you can be very disappointed by reality.”

"I'm a computer." »

Jerry Hall for Chanel, Sasha Pivovarova too?

fashionologie — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:03:27 PST

>> There's still no word on who is doing the honors for Chanel's mainline Spring 2009 ad campaign that was shot at Karl Lagerfeld's house in Vermont, but some peripheral roles have been handed out. Jerry Hall will take over Chanel handbag duties from Christy Turlington in a new campaign inspired by Colette's Cheri, the novel exploring the affair between a woman and a much younger man, which is coincidentially also an upcoming film by The Queen's Stephen Frears.

And those who are hoping Sasha Pivovarova will nab the Chanel Spring 2009 campaign, there's still hope. She's definitely still a Karl favorite - he shot the Pre-Fall Paris-Moscow collection on her in Paris a couple of weeks ago - lookbook or campaign, it's undetermined - and then she wore Chanel couture to the Vogue China Icons ceremony in Beijing on Saturday (above).
*image: source

Edita Vilkeviciute Gets Into Chanel for Karl's First Film

fashionologie — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:20:21 PST

>> Tom Ford is currently filming his directorial debut, and Wednesday, Karl Lagerfeld will show his own directorial debut, based on Coco Chanel's early years. Unlike Tom's feature film, Karl's film is only ten minutes - a length more fitting to kick off the showing of Chanel's Paris-Moscow collection in Paris. The presentation was originally supposed to take place in Moscow, but Karl changed his mind after Russian customs "wanted to have the clothes three weeks in advance, which means we wouldn't have been ready and the situation seemed risky, so we cancelled."

Shot in a Paris studio in two days, Karl's film is inspired by Mack Sennett's flickering black-and-white silent slapstick movies with "spliced in newsreel footage of WWI because I think it's interesting to juxtapose fashion with the horrible images of the trenches." Rather than cast extras - "they don't know how to touch the clothes" - Karl looked within his own posse to fill positions - muse Amanda Harlech and daughter Tallulah Ormsby-Gore as customer and model, Brad Kroenig as Chanel lover Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and bodyguard Sebastien Jondeau as a Russian general. For the role of Chanel, Karl went with Lithuanian model Edita Vilkeviciute - in character in the film stills below.
*image: source

View Slideshow ›

Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel Silent Film Debuts

fashionologie — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:58:00 PST

>> A couple of days ago, we got to see the teaser for the ten minute silent film Karl Lagerfeld produced to introduce his extravagant Chanel Paris-Moscow show. Now, the full-fledged directorial debut is available, with Edita Vilkeviciute as a lounging, smoking, staring Coco Chanel, and other assorted members of Karl's entourage in the supporting roles. Karl takes the opportunity to poke fun at Chanel's rival Poiret - "What is that horror you're wearing?" - and there's another humorous moment involving a deliveryman and some hat boxes, but generally speaking, he should stick to the clothes.

Part 1:

Part Two!»

Chanel Brings Moscow to Paris

fashionologie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:03:42 PST

>> The economy doesn't seem to have touched Louis Vuitton or Chanel one bit. While some major American designers are cutting back their advertising and looking at runway alternatives, Vuitton is keeping their Spring 2009 media placement and ad budget on par with one year ago - a budget analysts have estimated to be more than $250 million annually.

And Chanel? Well, Karl just staged a full runway show - plus movie - for a Pre-Fall collection, when most designers do a presentation at most. Chanel's pre-Fall - in this case, Paris-Moscow - collection was established to showcase the skills of the house's couture ateliers, so the extravagance goes without saying. The dresses may be expensive, but Karl waved off any mention of the economy: "These dresses come out in six or seven months from now, and the world may have changed by then." And the annual tradition which has carried through Paris, New York, Tokyo, Monte Carlo, London, and this year Moscow will continue on next year in another emerging market: Shanghai.
*image: source, source

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Teaser: Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel Silent Film

fashionologie — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:51:55 PST

>> The ten minute silent film Karl Lagerfeld directed to accompany his Chanel Paris-Moscow collection won't debut on the Chanel website until Dec. 5, but until then, we've got the teaser - almost two minutes worth of blurry, black-and-white, old movie fun.

Carine Roitfeld Denies Vogue Takeover Rumors

fashionologie — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:01:53 PST

>> Just to round out yesterday's bout of Anna Wintour in, Carine Roitfeld out rumors followed by Si Newhouse's denial, Carine also denied the rumor last night in London, where she was overseeing a photoshoot with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and then heading to Paris for the Chanel Paris-Moscow showing today: "I'm very happy at Vogue France."

And just like Si, another senior official at Conde Nast laughed the rumor off yesterday: "I would eat my hat if such a changeover came about. It is borderline theatre of the absurd." But again, it's important to remember that everyone is denying that Carine is replacing Anna, not the rumor that Anna is going to retire or be replaced - no one has commented on that.
*image: source

fashionologie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:12:51 PDT

>> IN PRODUCTION —Every piece of the globe needs a little Chanel, at least in Karl Lagerfeld's mind. Rumor has it he'll be taking the show on the road to Moscow in December for a special Paris-Moscow collection (like the Paris-London and Paris-Monaco collections before) and then to Venice next June for Resort 2010. [Style File]