With only these tiny, 2-D representations of of the clothing it can be hard to relate to reports of attendees crying at the sight of the hand-sewn creations gliding down the runway. Granted, the alleged crier was Monsieur Lesage, himself. The legendary couturier responsible for Chanel’s embroidery. Considering the upwards of 350 hours of work that go into the making of a single couture garment of this caliber, one can imagine the tear jerking effect of seeing your labor of love finally sashay down the runway on the slim hips of an underfed, underpaid model… And just imagine, they do this twice a year.

Indeed a haute couturier is a rare and strange bird. One who often guards it’s secrets like newly hatched eggs. “Mademoiselle Pouzeux, who does the braids for couture. She has a secret and she wants nobody to know,” Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld said in an interview. “We cannot find anyone to work with her. She does it all alone. She only works for couture because she cannot produce enough for ready-to-wear. And no one knows how she does it.” See the video of this interview below. But before you do that, enjoy some hi-res detail photos of the two looks from above. Still not like actually getting to put them on yourself, but they do better convey the astounding intricacies of the clothing. A sincere thanks to two of my new favorite tumblrs: pellucidus & Emmi Camille

The below image is of the 1927 painting “Kiss” – a work by the French artist Marie Laurencin, whose art Lagerfeld references in the interview (and in the collection, apparently). As the designer implied, the murky color palette is really the only thing that’s reflected in the Chanel collection. There’s something about Laurencin’s paintings that strikes me at the soul level. Aesthetically it’s not a style that I would choose, but it somehow provokes nostalgia for a time I never experienced. It resonates with me in a way that’s not entirely pleasant, but I suppose that’s the sort of bittersweet attraction that good art often has. See more Laurencin works via kroshka_50369.

Click to Shop:

Gianvito Rossi SWEET TEAK PLATFORM BOOTS €279, $402, £249

Christian Louboutin BABEL PLATFORM BOOTS € 715, $ 1030, £ 639

Jil Sander LEATHER RUBBER HEELED BOOTS €325, $468, £ 290

Marni SUEDE WEDGE BOOTS €289, $416, £258

My guess is hell no.

The hobby lobby mess you see above, folks, was produced by none other than the legendary fashion house of Chanel (a la Karl Lagerfeld). And what I’m about to say may be fashion sacrilege to some, but it’s true: these clothes are garbage. Granted, I chose some of the most hideous from the Spring 2010 collection to make my point, but it’s still valid. These clothes are not forward, or trendy, and not even classic!

While I genuinely admire the contributions Coco Chanel made to fashion, and can appreciate how revolutionary she was, I just cannot abide label worship. There must be other fashionphiles out there that feel this way. So why do I feel like panning Chanel is like taking the Lord’s name in vain. *taboo*

See below for a few looks that somewhat struck my fancy (click for larger view). Six out of 72 = FAIL.