with a rich heritage that has seared through time, with highs & lows, the house of chanel was established in 1909. in 1981, karl lagerfeld left his post at chloé & took the helm of chanel as creative director. in resurrecting the label after the death of coco chanel herself, karl has continued to revive the brand with a modernized signature as well as a powerful sensibility to marketing, beauty & fragrance. one of the most iconic womenswear labels in history, we see the SS11 haute couture collection tap into the rich history of the label, as only lagerfeld could create. playfully entering the SS11 couture season, the palette of this collection matches that of it’s model cast, pale, soft & feminine. while the lack of color is mirrored from the clothes to the women that are wearing them, the collection thrives in details that are more greatly appreciated when felt & seen off-screen, in real life. the attention to silhouette is interesting for the set, as elongated design lines seem to lean more toward an aesthetic & image karl has been adopting for the past few seasons. while other designers are focusing on curve hugging gowns & drastically draped necklines, karl assumes his position in oppostion. overall, the collection is a fitting addition for the house of chanel but in my opinion is lacking a true sense of progression & forward thinking. that said, lagerfeld is a genius in what he does & has done with the house of chanel. with sales of couture on the upshift, im sure chanel clientele will be nothing more than pleased with what has been created. icons, stella tennant opened & kristen mcmenamy closed.