A Vision in Silk & Sneakers

For the showing of its spring/summer 2014 haute couture collection, Chanel transformed Paris's Grand Palais into the "Cambon Club", Karl Lagefeld's version of a dazzling "nightclub from another galaxy", complete with aluminium floors and muslin-veiled mirrors.
To the sounds of an orchestra led by Sébastien Tellier, models bounded down a grand staircase, unhindered by adornments – no jewellery, no handbags, no gloves and, most notably, no heels.
Inspired by the fashions of the early 1800s, when women would always wear flat shoes – even under their ball gowns – Karl Lagerfeld turned fashion codes on their head, mixing the ultimate symbol of femininity, the corset, with the common sneaker.
"It is all about attitude, silhouette, shapes and cuts," he said of the show.
The colours white and beige – enduring emblems of the House of Chanel – were coupled with pinks, pastels and iridescent tones interspersed with electrifying flashes of blue, green, gold, brass and black.
Look No 47 – a backless dress in organza and silk tulle, with a top, corset and underskirt embroidered with sequins, and a feather-covered overskirt with lurex fringes – was one of the standout pieces of the show.
Creating the dress involved 767 hours of embroidery work in L'Atelier Montex, while the feathers took a further 51 hours to be applied at the Lemarié ateliers. Luxury was given a rare and exclusive opportunity to follow the making of the dress, from its inception to its turn on catwalk.
1 In the beginning, the dress exists only as a figment of the designer's imagination. It is transformed into a sketch by Lagerfeld and duly handed over to the house's head seamstress. The sketch is initially interpreted in the form of a toile, which is pinned onto a wooden mannequin. In turn, the toile is reproduced in the fabrics chosen by the Chanel Studio, in this case organza and silk tulle, before being sent to the ateliers at the House of Montex and the House of Lemarié.
2 Using an embroidery sample validated by the studio, the fabric is mounted on a frame and the embroiderers at the Montex ateliers begin applying sequins, using the Lunéville technique; 181,000 sequins are required to complete the embroidery of the top, 77,000 sequins for the embroidery of the corset and 50,000 sequins for the underskirt.
3 At the Lemarié ateliers, the ostrich feathers are attached to the lurex fringes and applied to the tulle of the overskirt – with the help of a pair of pliers and a dot of glue.
4 The pieces embroidered by the Montex ateliers, and those covered with feathers and lurex fringes by the Lemarié ateliers, are sent back to the Chanel ateliers to be assembled.
5 The final fitting takes place at the Chanel Studio, in Lagerfeld's presence, the day before the show.
6 Look No 47, worn by the model Antonina Vasylchenko, makes its appearance at the 2014 spring/summer haute couture show in Paris.