SimplyAbuDhabi X

W hen you see Chanel these days what you’re really seeing is Karl Lagerfeld playing fast and loose with the Chanel toy box. It’s all there, the elegant lines, the neat little bows, the wide brimmed hats, yet it’s been ‘Karled’ and therefore it’s Chanel that’s been deconstructed, reconstructed, and put back again – in a good way of course. We’re in no doubt Coco herself would approve, as we’re sure will the masked ranks of Chanel fans who await each season with baited breath for the latest twist on the classic line. There’s nothing in the Spring Summer 2013 collection that will disappoint the devoted. There are the label’s signature broad panels of black and white, which never fail to look anything but chic and cocktail ready, reworked for the modern multitasking woman. Classic stripes and nautical cues – an absolute summer failsafe in any hot season wardrobe and a guaranteed go-anywhere look – have been re-imagined around a loose A-line or bolero shape, giving the clothes themselves the look of a billowing sail. Pearls, the classic Coco statement piece, have been un- stringed and moved away from the throat to be scattered lightly as embellishes on dresses and buttons. Scooped necks and box jackets have been tweaked and teased and made new. Skirts that used to skim the knee have travelled upwards a little yet retain the ladylike elegance expected of the woman that wears anything with the interlocking Cs logo. These clever touches are instantly Chanel but also classic Karl, whose no doubt encyclopaedic knowledge of the label flatters the wearer by acknowledging that they too understand the game that’s being played. And let’s be honest, when you arrive at an Embassy garden party wearing Chanel, then you’ll want everyone else to know that you’re wearing it too. The cues are here for all to see and tick off. Karl’s been kind like that. There’s a reason he’s been at the helm of this label for nearly three decades now: he looks like he’s having far too much fun to stop. 1 8 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Karl Lagerfeld