Of course, absolutely none of that means shit to a tree if Lagerfeld didn't deliver a collection of equal substance. Bearing in mind that he is inclined to show at least twice as many outfits as any other designer on the calendar, the broad gamut of today's collection offered so much that the cumulative impact was energy tempered by fierce intelligence. Release and restraint, in other words. So there were exuberant psychedelic splotches of watercolor shading everything from coat linings to boots, but there were also pristine white lace yokes that recalled Lagerfeld's days as creative director at Chloé, whose founder, Gaby Aghion, died this week. "I normally never dig in my past, but suddenly I had a vision," he said. There was va-voom sweater dressing (and who else are you going to put in a va-voom sweater dress than Gisele Bündchen?), but there was also sober navy tailoring, with seams outlined in white. Lacquered pinstripes, Art Deco organzas, chain mail…don't even bother looking for a narrative thread; the fact is, as Lagerfeld said, "They're all pieces everyone can play with. No '60s, no '70s, no whatever, more mode de vie than mode."
And, in that, they embody a fashion vision where everything is permitted. Coming from a fashion house as august as Chanel, that's pretty radical. Almost worth taking to the streets for.