Future Vintage: Chanel P/E 2011

Gentle Reader -

Usually Chanel collections under Karl Lagerfeld are one of the following:

- very Chanel
- very Karl
- very Now

The recent collection for P/E 2011 (that's 'Spring-Summer' for the beginners), was something else entirely: all three at once, and it made for a unique moment in fashion.

Here was a ready-to-wear collection (or more correctly, a limited edition showing) that evoked everything that was exclusively the domain of haute couture alone: lightness, movement, impeccability, and mastery of form. Did I mention that it was even hauntingly beautiful?

This was a collection for the history books - if books will still be around. No, this Chanel collection was not the earth shatter of Dior's 1947 Corolle (ah, the 'New Look') or spellbound opulence of Yves Saint Laurent's 1976 Ballets Russes.

This was a breaking through time, the force of Karl's vision made current fashion look utterly contrived and out-of-date. For those who pre-order, I am sure you have done so already.

- AP