From Beau to Belle Brummell: The Lightness of CHANEL 09A | UK

【CHANEL 2009秋冬】黒が主役なのに軽やか！表情が変わるシャネル09A ジャケット

Beau became Belle—and strict black tailoring became unmistakably CHANEL.

For Fall–Winter 2009/10, Karl Lagerfeld reworked Beau Brummell’s dark, exacting style through detachable white collars and cuffs, ruffles, pale pink, jade and three jacket lengths.

From Beau Brummell to CHANEL’s Belle Brummell

‘Belle Brummell’ is a deliberate feminine turn on Beau Brummell, the English dandy linked with disciplined dark dress and a focus on ties, scarves, collars and cuffs. Lagerfeld carried that vocabulary into women’s black dresses and immaculate suits.

Shown at the Grand Palais in March 2009, the collection crossed an onyx-like floor through eight plain white rooms. Tulle, muslin and taffeta ruffles placed softness beside the formality of menswear.

The full runway film lets the reference develop as a sequence rather than a costume quotation.

CHANEL 09A jackets: three lengths, many expressions of black

Matte wool, satin shine, transparency and beadwork keep the black from becoming a single flat surface. The jackets appeared in three lengths, edged with ottoman braid, made in paper-like tweed or worn with streamlined men’s trousers.

Under hats created by Maison Michel, the CHANEL hatmaking atelier, coat dresses, suits and evening gowns used embossed stretch fabric, mesh-like guipure, jet-black beads, cabochon-style wool, satin leather, silk jersey and crêpe.

The restrained colour is part of the effect.

Pale pink and jade appear briefly; jade also returns in Art Deco pendants and rings placed in the heels.

The detail film is useful for reading the braids, surfaces and small accessories.

Detachable collars changed the expression of a black CHANEL suit

White tulle, muslin and taffeta collars and cuffs did not merely decorate the clothes; they shifted the outline at the face and hands. Pleated ruffs, chiffon camellias and fine frills could be removed.

This was Lagerfeld’s modern proposition: one garment, two distinct looks.