Chanel in Seattle: Frozen fantasy meets warm reception at fashion show
Posted by Lucky on Jun 11, 2010
It was a well-heeled crowd at the sold-out Chanel Fall 2010 Runway Fashion Show last night. Hosted by Nordstrom and Vogue Contributing Editor André Leon Talley, the evening was filled with wine, women and faux fur. It was also a successful fundraiser. The event garnered more than $130,000 for the arts, benefitting The Henry Art Gallery and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Held at the Novelty Hill Januik Winery, the party began with a reception in the chic tasting room, furnished with white leather bench seats and a warm fireplace — most welcome after a chilly, rainy day. A sea of women in LBDs, pearls and the most fabulous gathering of shoes I’ve seen in one place air-kissed and chattered excitedly. Occasionally there was a flash of color. Most striking was the red bouclé dress worn by Jeannie Nordstrom.
In an adjacent room, the mountainous and gracious André Leon Talley met with guests. I had an opportunity to interview ALT (as he is affectionately known) before the show. Here’s a video snipet; I’ll write more about our chat soon:
Meanwhile, women browsed through the Chanel boutique in one part of the room, pre-ordering stretchy knit dresses, iconic quilted handbags and Yeti-style boots. As one fashionista commented, “You just have to pet everything.”
This was the first time the Chanel Fall 2010 collection appeared in the U.S. after its debut at the Grand Palais in Paris less than three months ago. Nordstrom collaborated with Chanel to recreate the ambiance of the original icy extravaganza.
The winery proved the perfect place to recreate this arctic-inspired show. Steel fermentation tanks and concrete walls were lit with shades of cool blue. Pre-show music was an eerie, moody mix evoking a wintery day. A snow-white runway was readied for the models, whose look and makeup featured over-teased hair and somber, darkened eyes.
Seated just feet away from the models, guests were able to take in every detail of Karl Lagerfeld’s designs. The house designer for Chanel created a flurry of faux fur, fringe in every form, textured trim, chunky tweeds, block-print knits, soft-knit mesh tights and incomparably fuzzy boots. A few black crepe dresses with revealing necklines showed up. I was feeling toasty and cozy just watching in the temperature-controlled winery.
The color palette was definitively wintery, with shades of gray, black, brown and white. Think fur-bearing animals against Aleutian snows. (Please note: All the fur was faux!) Bits of red were present in some of the tweeds.
I loved the tweed coats with fantasy fur trim. There was a pair of luscious-looking creamy white leather boots with touches of black. But the furry Yeti boots? Who can resist them, especially in ecru? Fashion and function met in the Chanel “ice block” handbag, approximately the same shape and size as an ice cube tray. As ALT pointed out, one could even use this as an objet d’arte in the home.
Overall, it really was a cool, fantastical evening. For a recap of this polar runway show and a look at the whole Fall 2010 Chanel collection, the public is invited to stop by the Chanel boutique on the second floor of the Downtown Nordstrom for a between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
