Couture A/W ’12: On the Catwalk With Chanel. On the Front Row With Diane Kruger.

Wed, 4 July 2012 3:31PM

I confess. I love checking out the front row at fashion week almost as much as I like watching the models parade down the runway. But when it comes to Chanel, it’s always one of my favourite shows both on the f’row side of things and the catwalk, so you can imagine my delight when the photos popped into my inbox. I was like a kid in a macaron shop.

Since we all couldn’t jet over to France, I’ll set the scene. With the collection entitled New Vintage, Karl Lagerfeld paid tribute to the Chanel brand from the 1930s era, and filled the Grand Palais with hundreds of camellias (Chanel’s signature flower). It all sounds very French and fabulous, no? Le sigh.

The couture colour palette was made up of dove grey, soft pink and silver glitter and the makeup followed suit. Models looked fresh and flawless. Chanel’s Creative Director of Makeup Peter Philips went for a shimmering soft grey, almost pale blue, shadow outlining the eye (Chanel’s Ombre Essentielle in Furtif*) and delicately blended up to the brow bone, with a thick slick of black liner to add extra definition (Le Crayon in Clair, $42, 1300 CHANEL). For a feminine touch, I love the swirl of pretty pink blush on the apples of the cheeks – Joues Contraste in Rose Initial* – and the just-kissed colour, Rouge Allure in Evanescente out September 2nd, on the lips. Nothing too matte or too glossy.

Since headwear in general is having a major moment, I wasn’t surprised to see it on the runway. Some of the models, like Lindsey Wixson here, wore a snood – an odd name for something which looks like a hair net, but in this case a stylish, vintage Chanel-ified one, placed in the soft wave hairstyle by Sam McKnight. Interestingly, snoods were worn back in the era that Karl was referencing for the show, and for a fun fact, they were worn as indicator your marital status. In this case, it meant you were single.

And then you’ve got Diane Kruger, who also got the memo that statement headwear is pretty much, well, statement-making, and she should steal the show front row by turning up like this:

As you know, she rarely puts a foot wrong and her latest look is no exception. You can’t see it here, but she’s got this fabulous full-skirted denim number on too. But of course, it’s all about the baker boy hat-slash-beret, and she’s nailed it with the side-part and low-mainty tousled ponytail combo, plus the flawless skin and bold red lip. So chic.

It might be a little early to call, but we’re saying the beret-type hat is back. Socialite Urte Halabi recently donned one too …

Here are a few ways you can channel your inner Parisienne, and work a beret this winter:

• They look gorgeous in shades opposite to your hair colour, as you can see from Diane here. Black looks striking against blonde hair, while camel would offset brunette brilliantly.
• If you are going for a ponytail, make it a low-slung one so you don’t have a great big bump sticking out.
• Most importantly, have a play around with what hairline and position suits you best. Traditionally they are worn on a tilt, with a glimpse of the side part showing like Diane. But if you’re like me and you have a bigger forehead, you can still wear it tilted, but try it just a little lower down on your forehead. If you’re more of a middle-part girl, set your part style first before placing it on.
• If it constantly falls off (don’t worry, we’ve all been there) just add in a few well-placed bobby pins the same colour as your beret on the sides of your temples and at the back if necessary.
• They are beyond awesome for disguising a bad hair day, so give one a go when you’ve run out of time in the morning and your hair is on the oily side. Plus they’ll keep your head extra warm.
• If it’s a little too fashion-y, try one snood-style, by using a floppier beret version. Place it a few centimetres back from your centre or middle part and criss-cross bobby pins in-line with your temples so it stays put.

Tell me Primpettes, is the Chanel show one of your favourites too?

Do you love Diane’s look here?

What about the beret? Have you worn one? Would you wear one?

Hayley x

*The Chanel A/W ’12 Collection will be available on 5th August, 2012. For stockists information, please contact 1300 CHANEL.

Posted by: Hayley Bennett

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Tags: aw '12 couture, beret, chanel, chanel makeup, chanel runway, couture, diane kruger, fashion week, hair, hairstyles, hat, haute couture 2012, how to, peter philips, winter