In early July, Karl
Lagerfeld presented his haute couture collection at the elegant
Grand Palais in Paris. The white décor, divided into squares by black
lines, included
four giant perfume bottles.
The Chanel couture for fall is about "an unhindered graphic effect", said Karl
Lagerfeld.
The designer has created silhouettes with asymmetric lines and soft
shoulders. The back
is elongated creating a dangling train which is "very flattering
to the legs, without
being an obstruction as is the case with those huge gowns for balls
that are no longer
held," explained the couturier.
To better understand and admire the work involved in the creation of a
haute couture
design, we present this short clip of the making of one of these beautiful gowns.
The video is divided in three parts:
1) The Tailleur Atelier, Madame Jacqueline
Karl Lagerfeld and Madame Jacqueline prepare the mock up of the
jacket. This is the
initial design, made of a simple white twill weave fabric called toile, which
will be used as
the sample model.
2) The Flou Atelier, Madame Cécile
Madame Cécile carefully examines the toile of the dress. The final toile is
the exact
interpretation
of the line of the gown, including the embroidery marks.
3) The Embroider, Maison Lesage
The embroidery design is transferred unto a tracing paper from a sample.
The embroidery
method is followed with a special piercing instrument to punch holes in
the tracing paper.
Then a mixture of resin and pigments is used to transfer the design
unto the fabric.
The sequins are sewn unto the fabric by hand using the "Lunéville"
embroidery
technique, a chain of stitches made with a small crochet hook by means of
miniscule
stitches, one inside the other.
