Haute Couture Day 2

Day two of Haute Couture Week Spring 2005 included shows by Chanel, Christian Lacroix, Laurent Mercier and Ralph Ricci.

Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld continues the typical lady-like Chanel style in this collection, and is true to its Paris origins. It seems Karl Lagerfeld has decided to turn some models into replica of himself and gave them white hair. While most of the couture collection seems relatively wearable, the makeup is ghost-like and some models were painted with super thick eyebrows. So I would advice you not to zoom into the pictures unless you are mentally prepared. Even though I normally am a big fan of Chanel, this collection was quite disappointing.

The first outfit that was presented. This one is one of the typical Chanel designs. A lot of the models were wearing that hat and those shoes.

This dress was definately refreshing, especially after seeing all the other dresses, (which were white, puffy and lacy.) This one has constrasting colors of gold and black, and the roses are nicely blended into the design.

Christian Lacroix
This Christian Lacroix collection seemed to have an oriental theme. Notice all the models had on Chinese empress-like hats. The dresses were colorful and the whole show was a spectacular one. Barneys Girl and I feel very sorry for Christian Lacroix as his label had just been sold by LVMH to a U.S. investment company. Anyways, here are a few favourites from this collection:

The Lacroix dresses are all beautiful and well deserved the round of applause and 'Bravos' from the audience.

Laurent Mercier
Laurent Mercier is the fashion house which transforms men's fashion into women couture. In this collection, the designer tried to inject a bit more femine appeal to the designs. But obviously, you can still see the male influence.

Although this collection is not as fascinating as the others, the fact Laurent Mercier bothered with the ever diminishing world of haute couture deserves to be appreciated.