Karl Lagerfeld blasts Chanel into the stratosphere for sparkly AW17 show

Karl Lagerfeld hates looking to the past. So for Chanel’s AW17 show, the octogenarian designer entered the space race with a show bursting to the seams with astronauts, rockets and general sci-fi.

Guests were greeted with a giant Chanel-branded space shuttle that took over the Grand Palais (and lifted off at the finale), giving a major clue as to the collection’s theme. Images showing space blanket puffa coats and futuristic-printed dresses were also laid out on seats pre-show.

Kickstarting the show were the French brand’s usual display of tweeds and boucles. This time, they appeared with intergalactic boots adorned in all kinds of metallic sparkles. Astronaut necklines also took a turn, paired with glittery dresses and tights reminiscent of a starry night.

It wouldn’t be a futuristic show without a hint of silver and Karl didn’t disappoint with foil-like skirts and backpacks taking to the glossy white runway.

The space references toned down as the show progressed with models including Gigi and Bella Hadid arriving on the launchpad in bold houndstooth trouser suits and thick tailored coats.

As one reviewer pointed out, Karl could be catering for the super wealthy who are becoming increasingly interested in space tourism. After all, if you’re the first civilian to leave Earth’s atmosphere, you need to be dressed the part.

The front row was filled with Chanel’s usual faces including Pharrell, Lily-Rose Depp and a platinum blonde Cara Delevingne. Other less expected individuals such as Skepta also turned out.

Thanks to Donald Trump and his exclusionary policies, many designers have referenced stability this season. And perhaps Karl was too. Overall, this was everything you’d expect from a typical sci-fi collection. No surprises. No real forward-thinking. Just a simple and comforting vision of the future.

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