Paris (AP) Will Smith and daughter Willow were among headlining front-row VIPs at Chanel’s Grand Palais show, swooping in to thank Lagerfeld effusively after the show. The couturier held court after the collection next to the myriad artisan tables, sewing machines, mirrors, silk and cotton bobs, mannequin busts and real-life atelier seamstresses who worked diligently in front of guests even as the show took place.
Fashion Week regular, Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain, praised Lagerfeld for championing the workers who rarely get a piece of the glory, yet who have often been with the house for decades.
“Sometimes, with each piece you forget how many hours are spent on the beading and the intricacy of the embroidery of each piece,” Chastain told The Associated Press, wearing a pale embroidered Chanel jacket and sheer silk blouse.
“It was very special to have that showcased. I love these women. I love the work that they do. And I think that this collection actually really personified the Chanel house and also the work that goes behind everything,” she added.
Lagerfeld said that since the famed rue Cambon atelier was too big to transport in its entirety, tailors and dressmakers who didn’t get a chance to attend the morning show would have their moment in the spotlight during a second showing.
Chanel’s designer added that despite huge advances in technology such as laser cutting and enhanced embroidery, much of the design work “is still made in the way it was made a hundred years ago.”
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(Photo Source: AP)
