Chanel shows haute couture skirts

An edgy new take on the skirt dominated Chanel’s Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 11 show.

Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week is in full flow, and yesterday Chanel head designer Karl Lagerfeld showcased the label’s most exciting new looks.

The show kicked off late yesterday evening, in a moonlit Grand Palais with a statue of Coco Chanel in the centre. The fashion house’s trademark tweed played a large part, and skirt suits were ubiquitous.

Jackets were nipped in at the waist and boasted accentuated shoulders, although the centre of attention was on an exciting new style of skirt – which was slinky, long and featured a fishtail. Glitz was also a significant factor in the show, as beads and sparkles adorned attire. In terms of colour, soft greys and blues kept things easy on the eye.

Meanwhile, the Giorgio Armani Prive show was sensitively dedicated to the victims of the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami. The collection boasted skintight robes and trouser suits, as well as plenty of kimono-inspired pieces. Japanese silks provided interesting texture and a luxe feel. Skirts were also kept slinky here – in a pencil style and teamed with fitted bandeau tops. Celebrities including Cate Blanchett and Katie Holmes watched as models sashayed down the runway in cute printed silk frocks and innovative Eastern-inspired wrappings around their heads.