CHANEL AFTER GABRIELLE CHANEL

At the helm of Karl Lagerfeld in 1983, Chanel’s sporty legacy persisted and was revered for its connection to a lifestyle of leisure. The creative force of Chanel also recognised sports as a modern ern and avant-garde vision of the free and elegant woman, thus turning sport elements into a regular fixture of the brand. The result: a flirtation of masculine and feminine statement pieces, and a play on casual and sophisticated lines. Lagerfeld and Chanel mutually saw the potential that sports played in daily trends, and Lagerfeld had grand plans to turn it into a lifestyle: “Today, sports is a source of inspiration for fashion. What can fashion give sport? Better made and better cut clothes.” After all, what’s fashion if it doesn’t break the rules?

MODERN FASHION HIGHLIGHTS:

Fall/winter 1984/85: Much like Chanel’s first sport-inspired ah-ha! moment, Lagerfeld took inspiration from the fisherman look, feminising the waterproofs into a yellow canvas trouser and cape suit, to match with a quilted, pearl bag in the ’80s. Most notably, the racing-car inspired sneakers were first introduced in 1984. It would go on to be one of the most recurring Chanel footwear.

Spring/summer 1991: Lagerfeld toyed with a surfing and cycling theme in this collection, sending models in wet-suits down the runway with a surfboard, and dressed some in a clash of cycling shorts with a shimmery jacket. The surfboard lingered season after season, and was featured in the spring/summer 2003 campaign shot on the beaches of Biarritz.