Back in December I posted about the pre-fall 2013 Chanel Metiers d’Art, which was one of my all time favorite fashion shows. Being a lover of plaids and tweeds and dilapidated Scottish castles was a lot of the appeal. Luckily for me this collection is in stores currently, and I got to see most of it while in New York last week.
As pretty as the show presentation was, there is simply no way to really see how fantastic these clothes are without examining them in person. While I do not have a Chanel budget, looking is free, and the education of examining clothing at this level of ready-to-wear is enlightening. We all bemoan the drop in quality in our clothing, but I can tell you that quality is available for a price.
I looked at the collection at Saks, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and the Chanel boutique. Between the four stores I was able to see most of what was in the show, though it appears that some of the more costumy accessories were either not produced, or they were not picked up to be sold at these venues. I guess they thought the sporrans were a bit much.
This was the coat that opened the show, and it is really stunning. Note the subtle plaid in the grey. The scarf is knit, with little woven wool appliques.
This dress was one of my favorites in the show, and in person it is just stunning.
What really makes this collection (and so many Chanel collections) interesting is the texture of the textiles. I loved this delicate blouse with the almost armor-like dress.
Note that the sleeves are on the bias.
As wonderful as this is, it is not couture. Note the machine made buttonholes.
The tweed skirt is actually a culotte. I wasn’t really crazy about this jacket, but the fabric is fascinating. It looks like a distressed leather with the yarns that form the design somehow attached.
They also had this boot in a flat, and many of the cute plaid boots from the show were for sale as well. I could spend winter in these. A girl can dream, can’t she?
The Vintage Traveler 
Wonderful! I adored this collection from Chanel too. I wish I could touch all the wonderful fabrics.
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I wish I had touch-o-meter on the computer. I’ve never felt anything at all like the big bulky sweaters in this collection. So soft and luxurious. They look like an Irish fisherman’s sweater in the photos, but the yarn they used was incredible. See the last photo in the post from December, linked to above to see what I’m referring to.
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I have always loved everything about Chanel designs–I’ll just have to live another life to get enough of them. Living vicariously this time.
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Oh wow. I’ll take your favorite gray tweed dress and that coat!
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You have excellent taste.
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I.want.every.piece.
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I claim those gloves, hands down (pardon the pun). Great post!
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Karen, I’ve had cars that cost less than those gloves!
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Those fabrics are just beautiful! I live in New York City, but somehow, I’ve never gone to any high end department stores or boutiques to see clothes from brands like Chanel up close. It’s silly, but I think it intimidates me, like me being so young the staff will be able to tell I couldn’t afford anything in a million years and give me get-out-of-here stares! But like you said, looking is free, so I should build up courage and go some day 🙂
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Irene, you definitely should. Actually, all the salespeople I encountered were very nice, especially at Saks and Bloomingdales. The woman in accessories even took the photo of me wearing the gloves, and they were all nice about photos except one guy at Chanel.
Seeing clothing at this level of manufacture is a real experience. I never understood the big fuss about Thom Browne until I examines a dress of his at Saks. It was stunning, the details fascinating, and not as extremely styled as on the runway.
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I love Chanel so much, it’s all about the amazing textures!
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I also love that collection, so much, and it’s nice to hear that it looks as good and well made in person. I don’t think Chanel makes clothing in my size–as if I could afford Chanel!–but these are some awfully tempting pieces.
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I’m not sure about the size range, but being French, the pieces I tried on seemed to run a tad small. Of course, when we win the lottery we can go to Paris, order couture and have it all made to fit!
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Dittos on Rubyfoot!
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Love this–Thanks for the tour, you knew exactly what to take nice close-up photos of for the rest of us arm chair shoppers.
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I’ve actually thought of 4 or 5 different things I wish I had close up photos of. It really is about the details.
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Gosh, it’s been decades since I went into a high-end store to gawk over the beautiful clothes. Thanks for doing it for me. I had watched the Chanel fashion show video that you posted and remember loving that collection. I’m not keen on that distressed leather jacket either, but the buttons on it are pretty cool.
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Yes, they are great, and some of the other pieces had similar ones.
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