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Byzantine-style brooches at the neck and waist of a silk shirtdress by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Chanel Cruise Collection

Lagerfeld casts vote for multiple brooches, hip-length chains

Are brooches back?

The answer is a definite yes according to Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel.

Lagerfeld unveiled the Chanel 2010 Cruise collection on the Lido beach in Venice with models sporting brooches on belts and cuffs, in their hair and pinned to their hemlines. There were even twin brooches in Coco’s favourite Byzantine-style worn at the neck and waist of a silk shirtdress.

The collection recalled Visconti’s stylised films and Venice’s sparkling society of the 1930s, with fabrics inspired by the rich Venetian reds of the Renaissance and Fortuny’s pleats. The chiaroscuro technique of the great Italian masters turned up as blurry black and white prints.

But jewelry dominated much of the collection, with hip-length necklaces, skinny jewelled breastplates, dagger-like hip pins and bracelets with gold chain swags that covered the hands.
 
Gabrielle Chanel first visited Venice in 1920, in the company of José Maria Sert and his wife Misia. Here, Chanel discovered the treasures of Venice’s museums and its sumptuous churches, and was seduced by the Byzantine gold adorning Saint Mark’s Basilica. The sculptures and paintings of lions, emblem of the city and Coco’s astrological sign, fascinated her. From this point onwards, la città dei Dogi would forever stamp its seal on all of Coco’s creations.  
 
The event drew guests from France, England, the United States, the Middle East, Germany, Russia, Korea and Japan. Venetian countess Brandino Brandolini and the Count and Countess Luca Marzotto were among the 350 invitees who watched the beachfront show from chairs set up in the sand.