Paris-moscou - Key silhouette of the collection

For this season's Métiers d'Art collection, dedicated to the link between Paris and Moscow, Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by early 20th century Russian pictorial avant-garde. Virginie Viard, the Creative Studio Director at Chanel, and Karl Lagerfeld's right-hand woman, selected and decoded the details of a key silhouette from the collection, "this black taffeta dress plays with the contrast between geometrical beveled architecture and the delicacy of tulle frills. The magnificent embroidered piece, made by the Atelier Lesage (over 110 hours of work) is directly inspired by Liobov Popova's painting, "Painterly Architectonics, 1918-19". On the shoulders, the black ottoman coat is cut at the waist for greater freedom of movement. Its volume is also a reminder of constructivist architecture. The shearling shapka, made by the Maison Michel, is rimmed with bead fringes and a minutely detailed golden crown. I would say that this silhouette connects the two faces of Moscow: the splendor of a prestigious heritage and the boldness of the aesthetic revolution."
The painting that inspired this dress is part of the exhibition "Russian Avant-Garde in the Costakis collection" at the Musée Maillol in Paris, until March 2nd 2009.