Rumor has it – Karl for Macy’s!?
Yes, this is the rumor which has been flying all over the fashion world that Karl Lagerfeld will be presenting his new collection for the department stores. I think it would be a surprise for everybody to see how he can step down from his level in the the couture world into the average world of the mid-rank designers. It would be a full Fall 2011 collection which would present everything from jeans to dresses. Get ready to buy what you might have only seen behind the glass or on TV, this time you will be able to try Karl's pieces on and take them home to be part of your closet since the prices will be relatively low.
“Pleasant Surprise” for Spring 2010
I was amazed when I opened this page and glanced at the fresh preview of CHANEL Spring season handbag collection 2010. This is something I would call a "pleasant surprise"! My favorite tweet, flowers and amazing color combination is all I asked of Karl Lagerfeld for years.
Thank you to PurseBlog to provide me with the first look. I am definitely starting to save some extra $$$ starting now since I would be spending a lot of time in the Chanel Boutique next season.
Images are courtesy of Style.com. Please visit PurseBlog to take a closer look at other handbags in this collection. I am Twitting about it as well... by the way, join my Twitter under KatyaUK!
***Happy Birthday to Karl Lagerfeld***
Karl on Vacation in Saint Tropez
Fashion designer is turning 76 years old today. Born on 10 September 1938, Hamburg, Germany, Karl has been brought up in the weathly family where his father was Swedish and his mother German. "He went to Paris in 1952, where he studied informally, with the ambition to be fashion designer, until he won a prize for a wool coat from the Wool Secretariat in 1954 (the same contest in which Yves Saint Laurent won an award for a dress)."
Karl Lagerfeld is one of the worlds most respected designers. He first worked at Pierre Balmain (1954-57), House of Patou (1958), Chloe (1959-78), Fendi (1965). Finally in 1983 he has started to design his own look for Chanel. When Coco Chanel died, Karl gained control over the company and has stayed there ever since and he is always surrounded by beauty not only women but men too.
Happy Birthday to Karl Lagerfeld!
CHANEL 2009 Fall Collection – Vote “heads up” or “thumbs down”?
This is something out of the ordinary from Karl this year! I am not sure if he is experimenting to see if people are going to love it or hate it but the collection is definitely not done in a CHANEL classic style that we all know it to be. Do you think new CHANEL Fall Collection 2009 is "heads up" or "thumbs down"?
Do we like the fish tails, extensions for skirts with unproportional three layer dresses or do we still like the classic suit with the button down jackets and knee length skirts made out of the thick colorful tweed material with logo CC on the buttons?
I haven't even mentioned anything about the accessories but they are definitely a MUST SEE & believe the plastic case for your CHANEL 255 classic handbag (called after Coco Chanel first designed it in February 1955). Lets just say I am not ready to put up my Classic on the wall as a picture in the frame. Thoughts please?
“Karl Who?”
How humble Karl can be? Wearing a travel bag with “Karl Who? ” sign on the way out of the airport? Plain white bag with his name painted, made out of the simple material is a sign of his acceptance of the eco friendly world. And its true, you can make a great bag out of pretty much anything in your closet, and the most important, its the way to recycle your old clothes instead of getting pennies from the consignment store. I am sure this bag does not require an expensive material to be torn apart, it can simply be that laundry bag that you no longer use or an old T-shirt transformed into a fun exciting piece for your everyday wardrobe! I guess I have to give it a try to have one made with “Katya Who?” sign.
Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte
Designers are two sisters who came to the fashion capital of the world, New York ,with nothing but a couple of dresses in the spring of 2005. They had such an individual taste attached to their collection that it was impossible to not notice & recognize them among other designers. Rodarte came from their mother's maiden name which presented a sound of the strong opinionated explosive taste of new fresh couture added to our world of fashion! I was blown away with their chiffon dresses & platform thorn stilettos. They won 2008 CFDA Swarovski Emerging Womenswear Designer and 2008 Swiss Textiles Award which were previously given to one of the famous designers like Karl Lagerfeld & Christian Louboutin. Their seasonal collections are MUST@SEE in order to experience an exquisite fashion sense of the new generation.
My Introduction to Coco Chanel
Just to start, I want to talk a little bit about myself. I have developed my sense of style mainly from my mother who is an extreme devotee of Coco Chanel and her successor Karl Lagerfeld. She introduced me to the world of classic handbags, CC jewelry and extraordinary clothing patterns & designs of her tailored suits. How can we forget about Coco Chanel’s “little black dress” & what it meant for the world of couture fashion. My first Chanel introduction was a small black quilted pouch which was given to me at the age of 16. To this day, I wear it as an evening bag, how can you beat that!
In my opinion, every individual has an idea of what they like to buy, what fits them best, what is on their list of ‘must haves of the season” regardless of the current fashions but we should all agree, there are some classic pieces in your closet that are priceless, chic & irreplaceable. I always thought that classic, simple look will beat the trendy & so-called “quick departure” style of the season. That is why keeping that “black dress” in your closet and mixing it up with seasonal fashions can be a “win/win” situation for your daily wardrobe.
If you look in your closet, do you consider yourself a classy/chic, funky/casual or more sexy/outbeat? What makes you choose the clothes that you do, did you ever think of that? I believe its the influence that you get from the surroundings and the people that are close to you... Who or what do you think was influence on your fashion sense? Who was your fashion guru? Please share it with us.
Biography of The One & Only Coco Chanel
Brief Biography of Coco Chanel
From her first millinery shop, opened in 1912, to the 1920s, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel rose to become one of the premier fashion designers in Paris, France. Replacing the corset with comfort and casual elegance, her fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women's trousers, costume jewelry, perfume and textiles.
Coco Chanel claimed a birthdate of 1893 and a birthplace of Auvergne; she was actually born in 1883 in Saumur. According to her version of her life story, her mother worked in the poorhouse where Gabrielle was born, and died when Gabrielle was only six, leaving her father with five children whom he promptly abandoned to the care of relatives.
She adopted the name Coco during a brief career as a cafe and concert singer 1905-1908. First a mistress of a wealthy military officer then of an English industrialist, Coco Chanel drew on the resources of these patrons in setting up a millinery shop in Paris in 1910, expanding to Deauville and Biarritz. The two men also helped her find customers among women of society, and her simple hats became popular.
Soon Coco Chanel was expanding to couture, working in jersey, a first in the French fashion world. By the 1920s, her fashion house had expanded considerably, and her chemise set a fashion trend with its "little boy" look. Her relaxed fashions, short skirts, and casual look were in sharp contrast to the corset fashions popular in the previous decades. Chanel herself dressed in mannish clothes, and adapted these more comfortable fashions which other women also found liberating.
In 1922 Coco Chanel introduced a perfume, Chanel No. 5, which became and remained popular, and remains a profitable product of Chanel's company. Pierre Wertheimer became her partner in the perfume business in 1924, and perhaps also her lover. Wertheimer owned 70% of the company; Coco Chanel received 10% and her friend Bader 20%. The Wertheimers continue to control the perfume company today.
Coco Chanel introduced her signature cardigan jacket in 1925 and signature "little black dress" in 1926. Most of her fashions had a staying power, and didn't change much from year to year -- or even generation to generation.
Coco Chanel briefly served as a nurse in World War I. Nazi occupation meant the fashion business in Paris was cut off for some years; Chanel's affair during World War II with a Nazi officer also resulted in some years of diminished popularity and an exile of sorts to Switzerland. In 1954 her comeback restored her to the first ranks of haute couture. Her natural, casual clothing including the Chanel suit once again caught the eye -- and purses -- of women. She introduced pea jackets and bell bottom pants for women. She was still working in 1971 when she died. Karl Lagerfeld has been chief designer of Chanel's fashion house since 1983.
In addition to her work with high fashion, Coco Chanel also designed stage costumes for such plays as Cocteau's Antigone (1923) and Oedipus Rex (1937) and film costumes for several movies, including Renoir's La Regle de Jeu. Katharine Hepburn starred in the 1969 Broadway musical Coco based on the life of Coco Chanel.
