In this day and age of online shopping and fast fashion, most people forget that great clothes—chic, timeless, and high quality—are neither made automation nor mass-production.
There is an elaborate thought process and creative system involved in the creation of a single garment. Trusted teams of highly skilled ateliers ensure every detail is world-class. And there is an inexplicable outpour of love and passion in each handiwork.
This core philosophy is what drives the house of Chanel. Their reputation in haute couture is second to none. For decades under the leadership of the late Karl Lagerfeld, the world-famous French brand has been crafting dresses worthy to be called ‘art’ and will continue the legacy under Virginie Viard.
Look 20 from the Chanel Spring-Summer 2019 Haute Couture show is a perfect example. The pale pink organza dress with a trompe l’oeil bolero effect is adorned with 250 real flowers and 150 brass flowers handmade by meticulously by Premières Goossens. The exquisite embroidery—all 10,000 tubes, 25,000 sequins and 880 shards of crystal—was done by the masters at Maison Lesage and took 800 hours of work. Then première Montex completed the design process. Using the Luneville, crochet hook braids were embroidered from 1,080 tubes, 15,700 sequins and cuvette sequins and 1,700 beads.
It is a masterpiece, to say the very least. Next time you put something on, think of how it was crafted.
