Fashion is a movable feast: there may be catastrophes and wars here and there in the world, but the (runway) show must go on, from one glamour capital to the other, from one magnificent venue to the next. And so, on Tuesday evening, Chanel unveiled its Resort (or Cruise) collection at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.
The event celebrated in some ways the connection between Coco Chanel and Tinseltown: the designer arrived in Hollywood in the early '30s, at the height of the Golden Age, to create costumes for Samuel Goldwyn's United Artists Studio. Among the others, Coco Chanel designed the gowns for A. Edward Sutherland's "Palmy Days" (1931), for Gloria Swanson in Mervyn LeRoy's "Tonight or Never" (1931) and Victor Saville's "First a Girl" (1935).
Yet, rather than geared towards classic silver-screen sirens glamour, the collection was more about Los Angeles' fun. Translated into the set, this inspiration materialised as a game court, bleacher seats and a giant screen showing palm trees and the LA skyline and beach. The space doubled up as a roller rink after the show, complete with food trucks and a final party by Snoop Dogg.
Highly Instagrammable for the influencers and celebrities involved (among the others Margot Robbie, Kristen Stewart, Elle Fanning, and Marion Cotillard), collection-wise it was a celebration of the LA carefree style.
Beachwear and swimsuits, cropped tops and shorts abounded; aerobics was another theme as proved by bodysuits and logo legwarmers (worn with hi-top trainers) galore, but also roller-skating mania.
The latter was revised via maxi T-shirts with '80s graphics of roller skates, and tops and dresses scattered with ice cream sundaes and sparkly palm trees, a motif also replicated on intarsia dégradé vaporwave cardigans.
There was no space for "I, Tonya" violence, but plenty of space for glitter lamé bodysuits, while a tracksuit in mint green evoked the uniform of disenfranchised youth rather than carefree LA.
There were more hints at the kitsch excesses of the '80s, including a Volkswagen camper van-shaped Chanel handbag (hope they asked for permission, otherwise it could result in a legal action) and disco ball shoes with light-up heels (that will come up with different colours and speed settings View this photo), a tongue-in-cheek nod to what you may find on Aliexpress rather than a reference to French couture (well, a while back Balmain was also hit by disco ball mania minus the light-up heels, so this is a trend View this photo).
In the realm of escapism, the vibrant Venice Beach boardwalk proved to be a captivating inspiration, an energetic and vibrant tapestry of beautiful youthful and sporty humans with sculpted bodies.
Some looks conjured up Jane Fonda, but there were mild references to "Clueless" in the pastel tweeds, a reference combined with a healthy dose of Barbiecore mania to anticipate the film of the summer.
The runway was indeed filled with an abundance of pink tweeds, bustiers, minidresses, and pink dégradé sequinned crop tops. One of the pink ensembles actually wouldn't have looked out of place in the romantic comedy TV series "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" recently released on Paramount+.
For more mature customers the selection included bohemian camellia prints, gold sequined "zigzag moderne" jumpsuits, pajamas hinting at Art Deco and star and comet motifs, a tribute to the many stars shining in the Hollywood constellation.
The current Creative Director at Chanel, Virginie Viard, is not just a film fan, but she started her career as a costume designer in the '80s.
Next week at the Cannes Film Festival, Chanel will be once against the protagonist with Maïwenn's film "Jeanne du Barry" featuring costumes by Jürgen Doering and Viard, drawing inspiration from 18th-century dress and vintage Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel designs from the 1980s and '90s (that were in turn inspired by Louis XV's last mistress).
Yet there was actually something else that connected Chanel's show with films: outside the studios there were indeed a few Writers Guild of America (WGA) members striking.
Film and TV writers have indeed initiated a nationwide industrial action: the strike started at the beginning of May as negotiations failed between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a coalition of major studios.
The WGA wants structural changes in studio operations and pay increases totaling $429 million per year for its members, while the studios' current offer stands at $86m a year.
Despite the booming investments in television and film, writers are indeed witnessing a decline in their earnings. The proliferation of mini-rooms rather than proper writers' rooms and the expansion of streaming services that refuse to pay more than minimum rates and do not take care of success or experience, meant that weekly pay for writers declined over the past decade. This means that, while studios profits and executive salaries have seen significant growth, writers are becoming disposable and are stuck in precarious and insecure jobs even when they work on successful series and films.
The gaps between seasons also mean that quite often they are left without jobs. Royalty payments used to ensure an off-months income for writers, guaranteeing them a cheque whenever an episode of a series was repeated or sold to another channel. However, the landscape has changed with the rise of streaming services, where the concept of repeats no longer exists, and series are not sold to other channels. In a nutshell, the revered job of screenwriter has become an unsustainable gig-type part-time occupation.
One pressing concern revolves also around the potential misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI should ideally serve as a helpful tool assisting human writers, there is a growing apprehension that it may be deployed as a complete replacement for human creativity. Recognizing this, the WGA has called for regulations on AI usage, aiming to prevent its utilization in writing or rewriting literary material and as a source material.
Additionally, the WGA has urged for the prohibition of using writers' work to train AI models. However, the AMPTP has rejected this proposals, opting not to make immediate commitments regarding this matter. This stance has raised concerns and underlined the AMPTP's apparent reluctance to address the issue effectively.
It's therefore not surprising then that 98% of the union members voted in favour of the strike, bringing production to a halt.
So far this has had an impact on different levels in the industry as series – from the "Game of Thrones" prequel ("The Hedge Knight") and the final season of Netflix's hit "Stranger Things", to Marvel movie "Blade" and late-night shows in the US – were halted. The strike has also had an impact on further jobs related to the film industry – going from technicians, costume and set designers and special effects crews to music advisors and translators.
Nobody knows how long the strike will last (the previous, spanning from 2007 to 2008, went on for 100 days, inflicting a staggering financial toll exceeding $2 billion upon the industry), but some services have already found alternatives that are not favourable to American writers. Probably realizing this was going to happen, Netflix announced in April they will be investing $2.5 billion in South Korea to make TV series, movies and unscripted shows.
Chanel shouldn't be blamed for organizing the show at Paramount Studios, after all, you pick a venue months in advance, so they couldn't have imagined that outside there would have been writers on strike. Yet they may have taken a stance and maybe show some support, after all Karl Lagerfeld brought a fake protest on the runway for Chanel's S/S 15 collection and this would have been a chance to show support to creative people who write films that often end up inspiring fashion collections and trends.
Instead, Chanel opted to distance itself from any involvement or association with the contentious matter, ensuring its neutrality. A spokesperson for the fashion company explained they hoped the parties involved will quickly reach an agreement. According to the company, guests entered the event through "a neutral gate" and therefore were not "in violation of the strike by being on property to attend this event" (the neutral gate, established under the National Labor Relations Act, allows unaffected companies and businesses to operate without disruption during a labor dispute; this concept means that employers can enter and exit a location peacefully, bypassing picket lines and potential obstruction).
There was one film that actually came to mind in Chanel's sea of bodysuits and leg warmers - Adrian Lyne's 1983 "Flashdance". In this romantic dance fairy tale about a talented welder who aspires to become a professional dancer, there was still the possibility of an ordinary girl with a humble and heavy job to make her big dream come true.
Fashion should make us all dream, but it is progressively showing us that the dream (note - the dream, not its fulfillment) is reserved to very few ones out there, often the elite and the affluent. Ordinary people rather than longing for fun or glamour fashion designs are left yearning for fair pay, health care and a pension.
But not caring for them fashion houses forget that their fortune and prosperity also depend from the money of ordinary consumers who may not be able to afford their clothes and accessories, but still opt to buy a fragrance or lipstick by a famous brand. Alas, without gainful employment, bidding farewell to such luxuries becomes an unfortunate certainty. Maybe, by then, some fashion houses will realise that a few words of support to a fair social cause will not hurt their reputation, and will also win them the loyalty of consumers.
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