When many think of high fashion, Chanel comes to mind. The fashion house has enduring relevance, reaching new heights as time passes through haute couture, ready-to-wear, and luxury accessories as well as beauty products. Through this, Chanel has become synonymous with fashion, it is fashion at its core. Being one of the most significant leading brands, Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard, the house’s two most recent designers, have both contributed to the house’s ongoing heritage of everlasting principles. Such as passion, romance, sophistication, and feminine elegance. Current creative director Viard, it may be argued, has the most difficult role of them all, as she is following the path of two godlike figures of the fashion industry, Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. Two designers who have pioneered and changed fashion forever to the point they impact people’s everyday wardrobes, even if they don’t wear Chanel. Viard holds her own, to the point Lagerfeld views her as his right-hand woman, referring to Virginie as “my right arm.”
Viard began as an intern at Chanel and worked for Lagerfeld for over two decades, earning the key position of studio director. which meant she aided in bringing Lagerfeld’s visions to our lives, translating his concepts into what we saw tangibly. Though Viard was lesser known to the public, her work was also present during Lagerfeld’s tenure, especially towards the end. She stated, to The Telegraph in 2017, “I make the collections come to life with the ateliers and the Métiers d’Art houses, based on Karl’s sketches. I coordinate the teams, liaise with suppliers, and choose fabrics. Then, of course, I do fittings with Karl. As soon as I receive his sketches, the process begins. I try to please him, but I like to surprise him too.”Viard, a trusted associate of Karl Lagerfeld for an extended period, has been bestowed with the significant responsibility of safeguarding and perpetuating the enduring legacies of both Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld.
It’s commonplace for the overall look of the house to alter when a new designer begins their tenure; it happens time and time again. When different designers work within the same house codes, it’s inevitable that the execution will differ through their creative visions, but remain within the same aesthetic realm and maintain the heart of the brand at its core.
It is evident that her skillset and evolution as a creative were guided by Lagerfeld’s technical expertise and that she aided in the success of Chanel during his years. Though the difference between the two designer’s visions of the fashion house is that Viard’s Chanel is a woman’s perspective of Chanel, while Lagerfeld’s is a profound understanding of Chanel. She holds a fresh tenderness and warmth, showcasing her woman’s point of view and a sense of exuberance that Chanel herself infused into her work. Over the course of Chanel’s rich history, it is the first time since Coco Chanel that a female designer is at its forefront. Viard leans into this while carrying on what she learned from Lagerfeld.
This makes her the best fit for a successor because she not only has a genuine love for luxury within clothing featuring a nonchalance of French bohemian style well suited to the brand but also a love for heritage and history. This love translates into her vision of Chanel, as we begin to see more romantic essence breathed back into Chanel such as fluid lines, softer tones, fresh colors, and reiterating the classic Chanel codes of dress with a sense of serenity and insouciance. These qualities set her apart from Lagerfeld’s work whose work was elegant, modern, and chic yet still timeless, daring, and nonchalant. He created relentlessly, and endlessly did the unexpected, constantly rejuvenating Chanel’s codes with his the rules to break the rules approach. Through this he has a very strong connection and appreciation for the brand’s heritage, meaning he could move forward using the iconic Chanel elements of language such as the tweed suit, the little black dress, quilting, the camellia flower, golden chains, large pearls, the number five, two-tone shoes, etc. To complement this, he also revived the most recognizable branding of chanel interlocking double C, a monograph of Coco Chanel brought back from the archive. This logo went global and aided vastly in communicating the identity and beauty of Chanel.
In regards to Gabrielle Chanel, he said, “My job is not to do what she did, but what she would have done. The good thing about Chanel is it is an idea you can adapt to many things.” While Lagerfeld offers understanding, Viard offers perspective. She reiterates rather than rejuvenates. Lagerfeld’s Chanel girl and woman have a masculine edge over Viard’s. They are sharper and cooler, while Viard’s Chanel girl and woman are softer and nonchalant.
For instance, how they implement the Chanel codes into their own work. Look 87 of Chanel Fall 2016 Ready-to-wear under Karl Lagerfeld and Look 62 of Fall 2020 ready-to-wear. Both looks are girlish in tone, a youthful, exuberant execution with the classic monochromatic black and white motifs, lace, the camellia, and utilization of styling through accessories and subtle detailing. Lagerfeld’s work of tiered lace is almost archetypal, with movement that is sleek and clean despite the softer materials. He gives the Chanel woman strength and elevation while remaining grounded, keeping her lightness through layered pearls, three Camille flowers, and a free-flowing bow. His styling and accessorizing is modern and forward-thinking
He practices restraint of masculinity, keeping the traditionally masculine design aspects such as leather to a small degree.to allow for the dulcet aspects to be enhanced through juxtaposition that amplifies every facet of the look individually, drawing the eye across for visual appeal both in the details as well as the overall ensemble. Viard can push the envelope when it comes to more masculine structure and design with precise tailoring and traditionally masculine design aspects since the overall tone of her vision is fluid and soft. In this look the boots are heavy, the leather is strong within multiple accents, the black is stark, and the juxtaposition is still present, but not as uniform. We don’t see a clear Camille flower in this specific outfit, but the feeling of one. The delicate, natural organic lines are present. Instead, styling is conducted to fuse the differing elements together. She uses lace to embellish and accent excessively here, to the point it makes the fabrics come together as one and give the luxury essence to a more laid-back piece. She can draw the eye in and have an overall strong look, but the appeal is refined yet carefree.
From these two autumn-winter looks we can see the beauty in both their executions and the mutual respect shared between the two and the house. In an interview with Vogue, Viard stated, “I remember one time asking Karl, ‘Oh, can’t you make a classic little shirtdress like this [vintage] one?’ And he’s like, ‘No—we never look back. We always are going forward.’ Virginie’s into revisiting things, but she always makes them look fresh—it’s her version of it. It doesn’t ever look like a replica.”
The perfect example of this Chanel Spring 2022 Ready-to-wear, Viard recaptured the beauty and glamor of 90s Chanel for the modern age. A pivotal and iconic time for the brand’s history. For perspective, in the 90s Karl Lagerfeld faced the task of making Chanel elevated, yet accessible.Chanel was on a pedestal at the time, hence financial crisis, and Lagerfeld was able to reinvent the Chanel woman without sacrificing any of the image’s grandeur. Lagerfeld helped save Chanel in the 90s, presenting a bolder, sexier, and youthful version of the Chanel woman, portrayed by supermodels like Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Kate Moss. If you’re interested in learning more about the Supermodel aesthetic, What makes a Supermodel Special? | The “It” Factor Analysis is available now.
Viard not only offers her own perspective now, but a perspective of many Chanels through many eras. In the words of French New Wave Film director and pioneer Jean-Luc Godard, “It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to.” Fashion endlessly cycles, trends come back, inspiration is found everywhere, but if this inspiration isn’t channeled it is unintelligible. An idea is just an idea, and Viard with her past experience offers the understanding of just this as she aided in the execution of Lagerfeld’s ideas as well as her own under Chanel. Viard gives these moments meaning again in a time where fashion is fighting to survive and allowing to pull from the best in order to offer the best with a fresh perspective. Even if one is not personally drawn to or taking a liking to her work, the clothing she offers isn’t made for every woman, but those who see themselves in the Chanel woman. Just as every fashion house has their specific client and niche. There isn’t a concern about accessibility and financial collapse like in Lagerfeld’s time, but a concern for rebirth and relevance which Viard’s creative vision suits well.
The execution of Chanel’s imagery has shifted. Lagerfeld recognized the power of modern pop culture and rebranding along with the significance of history and brand integrity, joining them together in vigorous, stylish, refined, and contemporary ways while strengthening social and environmental commitments. “Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality,” he was fond of saying. With Viard’s perspective, she continuously interprets reality with her perspective paying tribute to the rich history that came before her. Whether is be a comforting library in the image of founder Chanel’s daytime apartment or a grand Hollywood-esque sign evoking a sense of no fuss glamor, marrying together Parisian chic style with the effortless L.A. flair, Viard continuously looks to the past with respect and brings the beauty life has to offer through her vision. Both designers move people with fashion in an artistic manner.
Coco Chanel set the groundwork which many continually built up from, Karl Lagerfeld took the sharp elegance of chanel that was so classic yet simple as he interpreted the past and brought it to the present, even bringing a future filled with hope to those who adored and embraced Chanel as his legacy lives on at the brand. Viard carries on his legacy and the ones of those that came before her, breathing in a demure lightness needed at this present time in fashion for all those to be embraced by.
