Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1162043
60 I n the years leading up to his death in February 2019, Karl Lagerfeld — the creative genius and longtime creative director of Chanel — gave various glimpses into the inner workings of 31 Rue Cambon, the rare-air former apartment of the fashion house's founder, Mademoiselle Coco Chanel, that today serves as the atelier's headquarters. During those years, the famously private Lagerfeld began to open up, offering the world a look at the peerless artistry and craftsmanship within each of the house's métiers. But no view behind the curtain could capture the true essence of Chanel better than an illustration. I n t h e n e w book, Chanel: The Making of a Collection (Abrams, BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK. ILLUSTRATIONS JEAN-PHILIPPE DELHOMME. $35), journalist Laetitia Cénac delves into the processes of creating an haute couture collection in unprecedented detail, her words accompanied by 300 illustrations by artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme. It's an apropos way to pay tribute to Lagerfeld, as the designer himself was famous for his own illustrations, which were used as the imagery on runway-show invitations and as unexpected news visuals. (Lagerfeld acted as a guest editor and illustrator for several international newspapers, including Metro.) Captured within the pages of the new book, which is available September 3, are the couture seamstresses (referred to as petites mains), feather workers, embroiderers, milliners, models, and dozens of others involved in the making of Chanel's late-2018 and early-2019 collections, some of Lagerfeld's last. Cénac and Delhomme spent an unparalleled amount of time behind the scenes, observing and sketching these moments and memories. It's a joy to recall Spring 2019, the season Lagerfeld transformed Paris' Grand Palais into a sandy beach with gentle waves, a tiki hut, and barefoot models, shoes in hand. In one of his drawings, Delhomme depicts Lagerfeld waving from the boardwalk during his final bow for the show, alongside protégé and now creative director Virginie Viard. The beautifully illustrated reportage, in its fastidious precision, artful handiwork, and Parisian savoir faire, is the consummate homage to all things Chanel — past, present, and future. ILLUSTRATING AN ICON