Climate change melts Chanel runway

With Paris Fashion Week drawing to a close, the common trends for autumn -winter 2010-11 have been clearly defined.

This week, most of the collections in some shape and form focused heavily on real glamour set against rugged urban streetwear. Simple sportswear and everyday pieces featured touches of pure luxurious glamour.

There were strong plays on lengths: fluid, long versus fitted, short dresses and jackets.

Fur was another big look, whether fake or real, fur featured on practically everything including shoes, bags, skirts and trousers. That was certainly the case at Chanel. The crowd loved the extravagant show.

"Some of the models were literally walking on water," said one onlooker commenting on the epic icebergs melting during the show as the sun came piercing through the glass roof of the Grand Palais. "But then again, that's what Karl Lagerfeld does best."

Front row

British model and TV presenter Alexa Chung and Australian model and singer Micky Green were in the front row at the Chanel show. "I loved Jean Paul Gaultier's new collection," Green said. "My favourite pieces were the jackets, the cuts were simply divine."

Chung told tabloid! she was in the process of filming her new show, Frock Me. "I'm also currently writing for British Vogue," she added.

When asked about the curious ladder on her perfect Chanel tights she said; "Oh, that's one of the perils of carrying a mini straw basket bag."

Chanel

Some 35 sculptors from around the world were flown in to create a catwalk based around Antarctic glacier landscapes with the highest peak up to 8 metres tall. From the get-go the silhouettes looked at home in the stunning topography — and Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld showed, as usual, the uncanny knack of linking fashion with issues of the day — here, climate change.

Long furry total looks inspired by polar bears opened the show. In black and brown, fur trousers featured white borders on the hems. The boots and ankle boots were made with long fur that moved beautifully as the models walked through the icebergs. Wool-mix shift dresses also incorporated elements of fur on the sleeves and hems. Native American influences showed up in certain silhouettes.

The trademark Chanel check pattern was represented in both black and white as well as in other warmer colours. Monotone jumpsuits also featured large fur hems. Other jumpsuits had silver thread that shone through the classic black and white tweed.

Accessories included furry backpacks, dainty silver clutches and chunky necklaces featuring long icicles and rhinestones. Black and grey boots also had sparkly stones, and fur boots wedges had clear Perspex heels that looked like the models were walking on ice blocks.

The collection included slick pencil skirts and other '60's inspired babydoll silhouettes in icy blue and arctic white. Trousers were high waisted and tapered at the ankles.

"One of the most beautiful furs in the world is Chanel's fake fur," Lagerfeld told the Associated Press Television News in a post-show interview. "This fake fur gives a very beautiful new volume. It's a pleasure to touch and to wear it. It's light and warm."

Chloe

Hannah MacGibbon has hit her stride. After several shaky seasons at Chloé, the designer finally managed to capture the cool Paris label's romantic, slightly bohemian attitude.

MacGibbon delivered clean-lined silhouettes in camel and chambray, with plain-fronted high-waisted pants and crewneck sweaters, oversized hooded coats and romantic button-down blouses.

A-line capes in butterscotch felt were paired with wide-legged tweed trousers and knit jumpsuits that exuded relaxed, '70s Parisian chic. There was also a hint of the American West in the long coats with leather fringe and high-rise leather shorts.

Valentino

After a 2009 debut that was so slavishly faithful to the house's look that it looked as if had been plucked straight from the archive, followed by a collection that strayed perhaps a tad too far into unexplored territory, designers Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri hit the sweet spot.

The pair, longtime accessories designers at the brand under the tenure of founder Valentino Garavani, delivered light cocktail dresses and cropped, ruffle-covered variations on the classic trench coat that managed to look modern but were at the same time infused with the house's hallmark romantic spirit.

The white dresses that opened the show were at once easy to wear and flirty, with scalloped, multitiered skirts. Cropped trenches burst with fabric rosebuds — one of Valentino's signature elements, par excellence.

The duo used a surprising mixture of fabrics that went beyond the noble materials — cashmere, silk, lace and fur — usually seen at the house, incorporating high-tech fabrics and techniques.

The shoes, pointy-toed patent kitten heels with studs that gave them a touch of danger, were also appealingly fashion-forward.