Karl Lagerfeld may be the grand master of the house of Chanel (for 35 years and running), but the 85-year-old German-born, Paris-based designer always makes sure to pay homage to the maison’s founder, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.
Whether it’s through the tweed suits she was fond of or the many auspicious symbols of her daily life (from her favorite flower— the camellia flower — to her astrology sign, Leo), Lagerfeld has incorporated all of Coco’s favorite things into his collections for the brand over the years — footwear included.
For Chanel’s new cruise ’19 collection, which showed in May at the Grand Palais in Paris, Lagerfeld looked to the founder’s life in the South of France for inspiration. Referencing photos of Coco on board the Flying Cloud, the yacht owned by the Duke of Westminster (Chanel’s lover in the 1920s), the designer created a series of tweed minidresses and nautical-inspired looks for the collection.
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On foot, the models wore a series of vintage-inspired Mary Janes reminiscent of the white and two-tone pairs that Chanel wore during the decade and later into her life. Done in white or metallic silver, the footwear features softly-curved heels, rounded toe caps and covered-leather buttons running across the single and double straps.
The shoes are near-replicas of the designer’s own versions, save for one style that Lagerfeld debuted, which has a rubber sole distinctly resembling a sneaker bottom.
There is also a sequined version, done in large white paillettes, with a small double C logo on the heel.
Though this isn’t the first time that Chanel’s signature Mary Janes have been featured on the runway, Lagerfeld went in depth on the designer’s leisure life to create a very literal “cruise” collection (which is now available in stores). Inside the Grand Palais, models walked on and around a giant cruise ship, named “La Pausa,” after the villa that the Duke of Westminster built for Chanel in the South of France.
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