The real thing lies just a hop across the river Seine, but Karl Lagerfeld is not a man to bother with such trifles. Today in Paris, for his Chanel fall 2017 Haute Couture show, he built a giant replica of the Eiffel Tower smack bang in the middle of the Grand Palais.
The set provided a breezy backdrop for a winter stroll on the Champ de Mars and, as we all know, a winter stroll requires a good boot. Mr Lagerfeld and Chanel shoe designer Laurence Dacade delivered.
A prim Victorian style got the Chanel treatment with popper fastenings, patent leather detailing and a clear Plexi glass heel. It came in both tricky-to-pull-off mid-calf lengths and those soaring someplace above the knee. The latter, especially, will appeal to a more modest clientele or those more advanced in years and deeper of wallet.
Sure we’ve already seen patent boots this couture week at Schiaparelli and A.F.Vandevorst but as always with Chanel, the devil is in the detail.
Look closely and what might initially appear to be a full patent style is actually a clever trick of the light. The front and back panels and the toe come in that material but the rest of the structure is done in a much softer nappa, satin or occasionally tweed to match the outerwear.
This is the ideal solution for both fit and comfort while also falling on the ladylike-with-a-twist side of the kinky boot cliché.
