Chanel Cruise '07

"Perhaps we should not even call it cruise anymore, it's a limited term of a big ship for middle age people. That's not proper"

As a palette cleanser after devouring Fashion Month, I present you a stream of visuals branded with an interlocking double C's logo all over it. Chanel! Rolls off the tongue. The collections of yore, often deemed as irrelevant, and if one braves to step out in a piece from the archives, the term "out of season" would come following. This is not meant to be a nostalgic pang, but a minuscule display of pure Chanel prowess. This, along with a collection shown at a L.A. airport (Chanel private airplanes, anyone?) back in 2007, are some of the strongest Cruise offerings from Uncle Karl (a.k.a. Karl Lagerfeld). The seemingly endless ooze of creativity from the czar is still going strong (for prove, check the SS 2012 show). Like a German Energizer Bunny, still going, going, going... 

"I thought it would be fun, nice, and polite to show in New York", Mr. Lagerfeld told Tim Blanks back then, "It's the idea of travel, and an act of freedom", he added. The Chanel empire took over Grand Central Station, and reformed the upper platform into what appears to be a posh airport waiting area. In this case, I guess, it should have a resemblance to a train central. How many fashion houses can you name that are financially and socially capable to conjure a spectacle of that caliber? Exactly. 

The rare visuals above depict the raw behind-the-scenes of the shenanigans that takes place behind a Chanel collection. Who would have thought Karl smiles? Dare I say, he evens looks jaunty in bits. That's rare. Everything from Lysianne and her bichon named Albert, Karl's minions pulling out 27 Goyards, models smoking in secrecy, Anna Wintour-watching, Andre Leon Talley in white gloves -- "Click, Chanel, Click", and ultimately the Chanel team departing in a black mini bus (who knew Karl rides buses? I was shocked) is pure fashion goodness. Needless to add, the collection, was history in the making. 

My climax arrived in this hilarious exchange where Karl shouted, "A cardigan with a cardigan...it's a gay twin-set", pointing towards a striped cardigan on male model Garrett Neff. "Why a gay twin-set", A lady, sitting close by enquired. "Because they are two of the same", Karl responded. I'm still longing for my CC gay-twin set.