• 1. The dress first exists in Lagerfeld’s mind, before it is turned into a sketch and passed on to the company’s head seamstress. This, in turn, is transformed into a tulle, which is then reproduced in the chosen fabric – in this instance, grey silk tulle. Courtesy Chanel
    1. The dress first exists in Lagerfeld’s mind, before it is turned into a sketch and passed on to the company’s head seamstress. This, in turn, is transformed into a tulle, which is then reproduced in the chosen fabric – in this instance, grey silk tulle. Courtesy Chanel
  • 2. Next stop, L’Atelier Montex, where the silk tulle is embroidered using the Lunéville technique, a type of embroidery combining needlework and crochet. This is executed on the underside of the fabric on an embroidery frame, with one hand holding the hook and the other beneath the frame, moving the beads and tubes forward. The embroidery of the dress requires 945 hours of work in the Montex ateliers, using 425,000 beads and faceted tubes. Courtesy Chanel
    2. Next stop, L’Atelier Montex, where the silk tulle is embroidered using the Lunéville technique, a type of embroidery combining needlework and crochet. This is executed on the underside of the fabric on an embroidery frame, with one hand holding the hook and the other beneath the frame, moving the beads and tubes forward. The embroidery of the dress requires 945 hours of work in the Montex ateliers, using 425,000 beads and faceted tubes. Courtesy Chanel
  • 3. The embroidered pieces are then sent from the Montex ateliers to the Chanel ateliers so the seamstresses can begin assembling the dress. Courtesy Chanel
    3. The embroidered pieces are then sent from the Montex ateliers to the Chanel ateliers so the seamstresses can begin assembling the dress. Courtesy Chanel
  • 4. The dress is mounted on a wooden mannequin to check that the proportions and silhouette, as imagined by Lagerfeld, have been respected. As a finishing touch, the 14 jewelled buttons are sewn down the front of the dress. Courtesy Chanel
    4. The dress is mounted on a wooden mannequin to check that the proportions and silhouette, as imagined by Lagerfeld, have been respected. As a finishing touch, the 14 jewelled buttons are sewn down the front of the dress. Courtesy Chanel
  • 5. The dress is paired with slingback booties in black crêpe de Chine and satin, and is subject to approval by Lagerfeld during a final fitting in the studio, the day before the show. Courtesy Chanel
    5. The dress is paired with slingback booties in black crêpe de Chine and satin, and is subject to approval by Lagerfeld during a final fitting in the studio, the day before the show. Courtesy Chanel

Behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Chanel dress

Selina Denman
Selina Denman

October 08, 2015

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For Chanel’s autumn/winter 2015/16 haute couture show, Karl Lagerfeld invited his muses – Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Lara Stone, and Vanessa Paradis and her daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, to name but a few – to take centre stage. Adorned in haute couture outfits that were custom-created for the occasion, Lagerfeld’s guests sat at tables in the centre of the main hall in Paris’s Grand Palais, which had been decked out to resemble an opulent art deco casino. “All of the people you see here are friends. They loved the idea,” the 81-year-old Lagerfeld said of his celebrity-studded cast.

But, in spite of their undeniable draw, the stars were overshadowed by Lagerfeld’s stunning couture creations. Models took the guise of futuristic fembots, their hair styled in razor-sharp “tomboy” bobs, and their faces angled with strong eyebrows, slashes of blusher and bright-red lips. This was the debut of Chanel’s new 3-D suit, which uses Selective Laser Sintering to create three-dimensional shapes – in this instance, introducing unexpected volume to the most traditional of silhouettes. “The idea was to take the most iconic jacket from the 20th century and turn it into a 21st-century version, which was technically not possible at the time it was born,” Lagerfeld explains.

But for us, it was look 55 – a hooded, shimmering sleeveless dress in grey silk tulle – that highlighted the inimitable magic of haute couture. With only 13 officially recognised haute couture houses in existence today (down from 106 in 1945), it is difficult to convey the level of dedication, skill and craftsmanship that goes into each and every piece of haute couture. In the case of look 55, a simple silhouette and muted colour scheme belied the hours of work involved in embellishing the dress with thousands of beads and tubes, as well as intricate embroidery work. Here. we take a behind-the-scenes look at the process of putting this masterpiece together.

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