Lost in translation

I might frequently and openly profess my love for Karl Lagerfeld, yet this time I simply cannot. He staged Chanel's 2010 pre-fall showing in Shanghai which, to me, seems incredibly strategic on his part. After all, America is over, Europe is over, it's all about China. The setting of the show proved to be breathtaking; each model walked before a backdrop of Shanghai's skyline.

While Karl hit it spot on with the location, he failed to impress me with the clothes. Heavily influenced by the Chinese culture, he showed a new found penchant for boxy items. The dresses didn't flatter the models and at times the dresses swallowed the models whole. They became lost in an abyss of embroidered silk.

Though the clothes didn't deliver, the shoes did. The shoes more than delivered. Utilizing bright accent colors like yellow and red, the shoes were my favorite part of the collection by a long shot. So maybe Karl is saying something, maybe he satisfies the Chinese by staging his show in their homeland and paying homage to their cultural legacies through the clothing, and then makes the shoes spectacular so all the snotty American girls aren't left heartbroken. Shoes are the most important part, right?

Dear Mr. Lagerfeld,

I am perpetually in awe of both your work and your being. You always seem to be able to capture the most authentic version of both culture and youth in your clothes and to say that I am envious would be an understatement. Your most current collection from Paris for Spring 2010 is, in my humble opinion, your best work yet. While at a first glance the collection may seem to be a visionary minimalistic approach to spring fashion, a second glance betrays that first assumption because this collection is all about the details. These details are in fact extraordinary metal details that denote the heavy metal images you evoked with your fashion week invitation. I hope that I am not alone when I say that your fashion genius is unmatched in the business.

Sincerely,
the girl you sent spinning into dreams of heavy metal and tangerine colored jumpsuits