Chanel all wrapped up for Paris ready-to-wear show

[March 08, 2012]  PARIS (AP) -- Karl Lagerfeld turned Paris' Grand Palais into a cold, crystal fortress for a wrapped-up, layered fall-winter collection that channeled the space-age sheen of the 1980s.

Tuesday's ready-to-wear show invoked an otherworldliness reminiscent of the 1980 movie "Superman II," in which Christopher Reeve flew to an Arctic palace.

Lagerfeld certainly displayed his superhuman eye for detail.

Tectonic shiny appliques gave gray woolen coats a textural friction, while geometric A-line coat dresses had the feel of gems quarried from deep within the Earth.

One long, flowing dress in purple even drew gasps as the model disappeared into a matching amethyst backdrop.

The collection, one of the most layer-heavy this season, was a play on volume, with skirts on top of trousers, and thick coiled scarves, reminiscent of the 1980s New Romantics.

"Paris is about layers, so I didn't use any fur," said Lagerfeld, standing next to a crystal shard in cold gray.

[Associated Press; By THOMAS ADAMSON]

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