PaperCity Magazine

February 2014 - Houston

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I n keeping with the cinematic quality of the two days, Chanel's Dallas arrival was a double feature. Firstly, the house's 2014 Métiers d'Art runway show, the 11th to date, was a showcase for the workmanship of the 11 artisanal companies owned and nurtured through Chanel subsidiary Paraffection — lauded workrooms such as Lesage and Lemarié. Second, it was an opportunity for Neiman Marcus to celebrate Chanel's storied and vital relationship with the Dallas-based retailer, which hearkens back to 1954, when Stanley Marcus supported Coco's relaunch of her namesake fashion house following WWII. In the ensuing years, Chanel's work would prove so remarkable — and popular — that in 1957, Marcus invited Mademoiselle Chanel herself to Dallas, to honor her with the award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion. In commemoration, Anna Wintour presented Karl Lagerfeld with the same award the morning following the Métiers show, at Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas, proving that while times may change, Chanel remains irresistible. At Fair Park, we were astonished to encounter a 1950s drive-in. Punctuating the C of frocks and quilted 2.55 bags were gleaming vintage convertibles — 74 in all. Framing this remarkable scene was a neon sign proclaiming "Paris Dallas Drive-In." To the right of the entrance stood the drive-in's marquee, which detailed the 7 pm premiere of The Return — a film written and directed by Lagerfeld that examines Gabrielle Chanel's trying return to fashion. Charming carhops in vintage uniforms proffered ice-cold Coca-Cola in glass bottles, drawn from retro crates. Other libations were served in Styrofoam cups — never could I have imagined such a smart set sipping cherry limeades through straws. Fabulous folk were invited from near and far, from Vogue European editor-at-large Hamish Bowles (in lilac bow tie and matching silk scarf) to Derek Blasberg (best friend to swans the world over), and Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, the incomparable French stylist. Then, suddenly, to my right, was Monsieur Lagerfeld, chatting with a group of of-the-moment close friends. And what does one do when one is a matter of mètres from The Kaiser? Follow him! And so I did, as he led the way to fashion's Holy Grail: Anna Wintour (sporting bob, Chanel sunglasses and a sumptuous fur coat over one of the transcendent Chanel paint-dab frocks shown in Paris just weeks earlier) and André Leon Talley (in a resplendent gold-lamé caftan with tuxedo shirt, luscious black bow tie peeping at the throat and side slits that revealed a billowing black trouser that met a tuxedo slipper — custom-made, I imagine, by his dear friend Manolo Blahnik). They spoke for a few moments before moseying over to a vintage '50s noir Cadillac convertible. André sat shotgun, while Anna and Karl opted for the back seat. A masterful photo op? Possibly. Soon André grew tired of it all, pulled out his iPhone and began tapping away, perhaps reporting back to friends Lee Radziwill or Jennifer Hudson. Anna and Karl, engaged in an amusing chat, gave the photographers exactly what they wanted. The lights dimmed. Darling Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of the singular Charlie, was superb as Coco Chanel. The entire affair made me pine for my own rue Cambon salon, where I could host dinner parties for beyond-chic editors and personages such as Bettina Ballard (played here by Lady Amanda Harlech). As the 25-minute film ended, the lights came up, and en masse we made our way across the Esplanade Fountain to the building née Texas-sized barn where the défilé was to be staged. And should any lady or gent need assistance up the steps into the barn, brawny boys in chambray shirts, jeans and black felt cowboy hats waited to assist. (Whether in need or not, one jumped at the opportunity, I assure you.) Once inside, I found myself rubbing elbows with W magazine editor in chief Stefano Tonchi, who hurried up the stairs with a Marlboro Light dangling from his lips. At last the show began, and as if the gods had turned on a spigot, divine, blinding beauty flowed out. The creations astonished at every turn with their ingenious marriage of western themes and hallmark Chanel fabrics and silhouettes. There were tweed jackets and matching below-the-knee skirts as suitable for Annie Oakley as for our own Lynn Wyatt. Trompe l'oeil stockings gave the effect of a knee-high cowboy boot. There were remarkable feathers from Lemarié painted with Navajo patterns and trademark interlocking Cs, placed in the models' hair — thrilling enough to make even dear Pocahontas swoon; stunning Lesage embroidery (most notably, a metallic finished leather skirt and matching jacket in tones of cream, black and espresso, worn by Joan Smalls); ethereal and diaphanous white dresses layered, pleated, feathered and embroidered for a breathtaking effect; and shrewd bouclé jackets with exaggerated shoulders mimicking the skirts of a western saddle. As fashion tradition demands, the final two looks were white bridal odes, with Caroline de Maigret in an immaculate floor-length war bonnet rendered in pristine white eagle feathers. Once the looks had walked, Karl appeared, sauntered half the runway's length and exited quickly, followed by a stampede of supermodels for the show's finale — among them, Georgia May Jagger, Dree Hemingway, Jamie Bochert, and the inimitable Stella Tennant. The audience rushed for a chance to meet Lagerfeld. I stood back and was heftily rewarded with an intimate moment with actress Kristen Stewart … and her bodyguard, who promptly dismissed me. I also met the famous Marie-Louise de Clermont-Tonnerre, the exceedingly stylish directrice of PR for Chanel in Paris. Then we were off to the after-party, which was the chicest — and smokiest — saloon I've ever seen. Anna Wintour and her brood buzzed by. To my right, Dakota Fanning engaged in a game of pool; to my left, Dallas-born model Erin Wasson gleefully introduced her mother to her coterie of international amis. On stage was a buxom and cheerful dance instructor teaching fashion's finest how to line dance. I'll never forget her much-repeated mantra: "Now move your tushy to the right …" Invitations had also been bestowed upon Houston notables and Chanel devotees, including sublime Diane Lokey Farb in a navy-and-black tulle Chanel cocktail dress with Lesage embellishment, worn with a dazzling set of diamond camellias from the label's Haute Joaillerie collection; Becca Cason Thrash in a vintage Chanel knife-pleated skirt and mounds of stunning Chanel jewels; William Middleton with Sara Dodd; Ceron and Todd Fiscus; and GIllian and Allison Sarofim. Chanel, the consummate hostess, sent me off into the frigid night not only with a case of five luscious shades of the house's famed nail lacquer, but also with a newfound admiration of the atelier, which expertly ensures that beauty (along with the crafts and skills necessary for its propagation) and creativity continue to burn bright for all to see. As music man Michel Gaubert hashtagged the affair, #itsdallasbaby — and, indeed, it was Dallas, but done only as Chanel could. Monsieur Lagerfeld et Chanel, je vous remercie. SETH VAUGHAN DONS HIS LUCCHESES AND DOES A PARISIAN PIROUETTE. PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVIER SAILLANT, ANNE COMBAZ. Chanel's Texas Tour de Force Monsieur Lagerfeld and Chanel Métiers d'Art in a Nonstop Night of Fashion and Frolic FEBRUARY | PAGE 12 | 2014 I'D BE LYING IF I SAID I WISH YOU'D BEEN THERE … BECAUSE IN ALL SINCERITY, I DON'T. I HAVE NO INTEREST IN ALTERING A SINGLE ASPECT OF THAT UNERRING, PERFECT NIGHT WHEN KARL AND CHANEL CAME TO DALLAS — OR, SHOULD I SAY, TOOK OVER DALLAS. "WHEN KARL WHISPERED INTO MY EAR THAT HE HAD DEDICATED THE COLLECTION TO ME, I WANTED TO DISSOLVE INTO A PUDDLE ON THE FLOOR — I WAS SO OVERWHELMED! I WAS SO HONORED, AND IT MEANT SO MUCH COMING FROM SUCH A DEAR FRIEND." Miroslava Duma Jessica Joffe Nasiba Adilova Zoë Kravitz Geraldine Chaplin Lauren Hutton Becca Cason Thrash Karl Lagerfeld Linda Gray China Chow Supermodel Stampede Diane Lokey Farb at Karl's NM lunch Anna Mouglalis Kristen Stewart Laura Love Atlanta de Cadenet Dakota Fanning Giovanna Battaglia Poppy Delevingne The Kaiser takes a bow — Lynn Wyatt Lynn Wyatt

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