Chanel Couture: Karl’s ‘Stocking Shoes,’ and Other Shiny Solutions to Our Dirty World

Today's Chanel couture show, titled "The Old World and the New World," was all about contrasting the grimy, dilapidated present with a gleaming future full of impeccable models. Guests sat in creaky wooden chairs that were painted to look dusty; the effect was so realistic that publicists had to reassure guests like Rihanna and Kristen Stewart that it was indeed safe to park their Chanel-clad butts on them. Meanwhile, the floor of the Grand Palais was strewn with dirt and rubble, and the windows were made to appear broken. Then, when the show began, curtains parted to reveal a gleaming, Oz-type city on a raised stage.

Karl's utopian future.

Models emerged from this utopian backdrop in stiff, futuristic version of Chanel staples like tailored jackets and long prim dresses, rendered in reflective silver and white fabrics. The prints were pixellated and geometric, while hairdos and hats were square-shaped. The future, according to Karl, is shiny and clean and full of right angles.

Another highlight: What appeared to be some combination of leggings and/or very tight thigh-high boots were actually held up by garters, according to WWD — Karl is calling them “stocking shoes," which is a mouthful, so we shall call them shockings. Click through to see the full collection in our slideshow.

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Up Close on Couture: Giambattista, Chanel, and More

Haute couture is all about the details and execution of the most improbably beautiful clothes in the world, of which there was plenty to pore over so far. Yesterday, Giambattista Valli presented a collection that appealed to the princess in all of us with a parade of cocktail dresses, the most stunning of which featured a sky-blue silk gazar skirt almost shirred in an all-over style to reveal a crystal-embellished taffeta silk skirt beneath. There were also raw silk chiffon blossoms found on the shoulders of evening gowns. Sometimes they completely covered a bodice; other times they seemed windswept in a cascade along a gown's train.

At Chanel, one look stood out with its metallic mirror embroidery, but what caught our eye were the tiny rings worn along the knuckles of each finger. Over at Alexis Mabille, it was taffeta silk capes that were most memorable. Click ahead to see all that and more.

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Rihanna Wears Giant Cardigan, Shows Nipple Piercing at Chanel

The baggy white cardigan, usually a staple of balding golfers, got a fresh interpretation at this morning's Chanel couture show in Paris. Rihanna showed up in a white, ankle-length sweater with buttons down the front, all but two of which were left undone to reveal her torso and legs. At first blush, it looked like she was wearing a lacy black bra underneath a pile of of pearl necklaces, but it turned out to be one of her latest tattoos, an elaborate design just beneath her cleavage. The wool material was a bit sheer, but no matter! This was a great opportunity for her to show the world her right nipple piercing, which consists of a silver bar. It's about time we did away with that double standard of models getting to show their boobs on the runway while guests must cover theirs up, right?

This outfit is actually brilliant. It's always fun when something dowdy, like a bathrobe-length cardigan, is subverted into something sexy. (Side note: This may be the closest Rihanna ever comes to wearing something similar to Michelle Obama.) It's also very Karl Lagerfeld, who has turned Chanel into a house where grandma-esque tweeds and stuffy quilted bags are made to look cool and young. 

She Chanel-ed it up further with a white flower pin, a quilted bag, and tons of pearls, because nothing says "this outfit is not a mistake" like thousands of dollars' worth of accessories. Speaking of, she had to be very careful while walking in this getup.

Here she is with her stylist Mel Ottenberg, who deserves the real credit for this look. 

Also present at the show: Kristen Stewart! She was decidedly more covered up, even though she wasn't wearing bottoms.

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Was the Hair at Chanel Couture Inspired by Kid ’n Play?

At the Chanel couture show, there were piles of rubble, Rihanna in an ankle-length cardigan, and models with flattops. The boxy, gravity-defying do was born in the fifties (by way of the crew cut) and exaggerated in the eighties by Will Smith (from the Fresh Prince years), Bobby Brown, and Christopher Reid (one half of Kid ’n Play). Reid was a notable adopter of the style, so maybe hairstylist Sam McKnight was inspired by him? Or, since the dos had ponytails, perhaps they were modeled after Lagerfeld's signature locks? Either way, we've included a music video by the rap group to jog your hip-hop memory. Click on that, then through the runway slideshow for a heightened couture experience. Oh-la-oh-la-eeey.

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