District L

We don't know what Andre Leon Talley and Joe Zee's job descriptions are either, but if we could guess, the help-wanted listing probably included playing tennis in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton, shouting on TV, and traipsing around Manhattan in a Chanel gorilla costume.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Democracy killed the party. The fashion party. Suddenly everyone knows what's going on behind closed doors, Ines de la Fressange can't light up halfway down the catwalk anymore, and the other models can't make moo-moo faces at the camera mid-twirl.

Shit.

and what a better way to celebrate our first anniversary than with this amazing clip of Chanel's A/W 1994 runway show...in Serbian. It makes no sense, it's beautiful, it's tacky, it's 90's, and it's strangely current! Imagine that! Look at all that fur...

Here's to another year of singing, extolling, decrying, and lamenting the fashion industry while simultaneously finding every chink in it's armor and lambasting the shit out of it.

...but Versace isn't the only company experiencing a management overhaul. Several other notable designers and retailers seem to have jumped onto the spring cleaning bandwagon and made big changes.

Barbara Menarguz was named Senior Vice President and CFO of Chanel yesterday.

Ken Downing, Senior Vice President and Fashion Director for Neiman Marcus, is now overseeing their consolidated fashion office.

Roopal Patel will become women's fashion accessory senior market editor at Neiman Marcus Inc. She was formerly senior fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman.

Lisa Montague, who was the chief operating officer at Mulberry, has resigned. Her duties will be absorbed by Godfrey Davis, Mulberry's chief executive and chairman.

Fortunately, the long-term plan at District L dictates that it shall remain under the same management until the apocalypse. Whenever that decides to roll around.

Karl Lagerfeld is known to be one of fashion's most irreverent characters- the economy certainly is no match for his soulless stare and bottomless budget.

So that's why Lagerfeld, in suit with his previous resort shows (poolside? planeside? anyone?), pulled out all the stops and staged a 1930's style cane furniture-and-cabana runway show on the shores of the Lido in Venice, a favorite vacation spot for Coco.

So far did KL go to make sure the show was absolutely perfect, he had 10 tons of sand flown in to completely level out his chosen stretch of beach.

As for the runway itself, it was a perfect synthesis of classically nautical with a gilded Venetian accent. After a stunning opener of chic black bathing suits flanked by dramatic black capes and tricorn hats, the showing was a smooth transition from broad sailor stripes paired with high waisted trousers, cropped navy blazers, and flowing ankle skirts to crisp evening wear in black and gold with gilded rococo motifs. Sheer overlays in lace and chiffon seemed to abound as well, as well as tweed, which will make the transition from Fall/Winter to Resort a seamless one for any devoted Chanelossieur.

...and it's latest recipient was Amelie star Audrey Tautou, who will be portraying Coco Chanel in the upcoming film Coco Avant Chanel.

After meeting with the film's director, Anne Fontaine, Karl proclaimed that Tautou was the 'only true Chanel'.

"Her celebrity is all the more exceptional at the beginning of the 20th Century as Chanel had to fight against conventions that were very paralyzing for women...this film describes the destiny of a woman; it is not only for haute couture lovers. Chanel was born with an understanding of life and women that was totally ahead of her time," Tautou weighed in on the importance of her role.

One look at her, with her gaminesque features and air of undeniably french je ne sais quoi, and we have no choice but to agree.

"In these times, it is nice to be reminded that the essence of couture is the pure joy of craftsmanship wedded to creativity"- Sally Singer, VOGUE, on the white paper headdresses in the Chanel S/S 2009 RTW.

Vogue's best dressed list for this week was a usual buffet of everyone's favorite fashion plates- Kate Moss, Karen Elson, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Poppy Delevigne all placed within the top 5, much to no surprise.

However, celebrity greenhorn Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire fame took the cake on the list at number 7, photographed at the Chanel 2009 Fall RTW show in Paris looking stunning in none other than, of course, Chanel.

It looks like everyone, including Vogue, is under the spell of the sexy Indian ingenue.

Pinto is slated to star in the next Woody Allen movie to be filmed in London (of the Matchpoint, Scoop, and Cassandra's Dream ilk) and is rumored to be auditioning for a role as the next Bond girl.

Could this be just beginning of the road to becoming one in that elite eschelon of celebrity that can actually shift merchandise? Designers are going to love her...that is if they don't already.

And give the people what they want Karl Lagerfeld did. In Milan, we saw Karl for Fendi take on a synthesis of nature and industry; this weekend in Paris we saw Karl for his namesake line send a towering army of severely sartorialized glamazons in fur lined, iPod equipped motorcycle helmets down the runway. The kind of woman we saw yesterday at Karl for Chanel was no less towering and no less powerful; however, the classic femininity the Chanel brand is famous for was ever-present in the fine details.

We've been seeing this mass return among designers back to the roots which made them famous; how could Chanel and whomever happens to be designing for them (which we fully expect Lagerfeld will be doing for at least another hundred years) present anything else, ever?

The first twelve looks in the collection featured a ruffled white lace motif on the sleeves and neck which would return later on among the sixty-odd looks- as if to temper the audience and warn them that "yes, we know what you've seen Karl do these past two weeks- don't worry, Coco might be dead but she isn't dead".

Some of these were twinned with classically Chanel silhouettes, others were paired with sharply tailored jackets featuring severe double-breasting in a stark deep-vee. Then suddenly a herd of male models in elegantly masculine asymmetrical zip wool overcoats broke out onto the runway- order was thus restored, and was immediately followed by a classic box-cut suit in grey rough knit wool.

Pinks and seafoams made their entrance shortly thereafter, followed by black and white printed bodysuits and black suits with deep-plunging necklines.Silhouettes were very vertical and strong but softened with more typically feminine touches. On the whole, very comprehensive, oozing with ingenue sophistication, and just as Coco would have wanted- Karl was born for this, clearly.

Photos from Style.com