I know I maybe kind of late, but this month I had the pleasure of viewing for the first time the movie, "
Coco Before Chanel" which was released in 2009. It was actually a fitting time for me to catch it on television because looking back on fashion history this month, this certain portrayal of this
Style Maven, gave me a new perspective of how Chanel so epically influenced modern fashion. By the end of the movie I understood the strength behind elegance, and what is meant by her quote,
"Elegance is refusal." Her quest for happiness and financial independence is a marvel considering her humble beginnings. The growth of the Chanel brand as one of the most distinguished of fashion houses is such inspiration not just for us people infatuated with fashion, but for
anyone who desires to build their own brand in whatever industry they choose. Her refusal to let others have control over what happened with her life, or what she stood for, is what helped her to create a brand with such distinctive quality, so distinctive that it helped to replace the furbellowed over-the-top sense of elegance that had existed pretty much since the European Renaissance which began almost five centuries prior to her success.
To having been an abandoned orphan, to transforming herself into the most sought after couturière in the turbulent period of war and economic recovery during the Great Depression, to today, in our post-modern era, her style maxims have further expanded the realm of elegance in ways never before conceived as elegant, and they helped to free women of their misogynistic past. Her concept of elegance based on simplistic design (i.e. Her use of knit jersey; the woolen Chanel suit; the little black dress; quilted purses and pockets) helped to establish the independent and active women of today which gave women utility and ease, as she put the women first,
before the clothes. As Vogue outlined in their 2011 Best Dressed issue, her core paradoxes were between the feminine and the masculine, the ethereal and the tweedy, ornamentation and absence, and mystery and the body. She is quoted by Vogue stating,
"The life we lead is nothing, the life we dream of if the existence that matters, because it will continue after death." Karl Lagerfeld took over the helm in 1983 having been the creative director for Chloe, translating Chanel's legacy through "Marienbad-esque encounters of black and white, dissolving hems, crisp caressable contrasts in texture, and the grace note of a camellia." Coco Chanel has lived on through Lagerfeld's design, and his understanding of the Chanel woman, a woman whose nonchalance has become the epitome of luxury. Considering Lagerfeld has carried on Chanel's legacy for the past 30 years, it begs the question, who will be the successor to
his position? When Numero Magazine asked him this question in 2010, he apparently was unhesitant to answer, Haider Ackermann.
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| Paris based designer, Haider Ackermann |
Now, if you are the type of person that keeps up with the things that Karl Lagerfeld reports to the press, you would know that the next Spring in 2011, he retracted this statement to say Ackermann would most likely do better at Givenchy. About replacing him at Chanel he said, "Its not his world I don't think." In my fashion, his first suggestion wasn't too bad of an idea. Ackermann has been rumored to be good fit for multiple brands in the past few years, but regardless of whether he decides to become head designer for any one of the fashion world's most coveted brands, or never sways away from his own self-entitled line, the talent is obviously there for him to succeed in the fashion world as a pioneer for the look of women in future years, with savvy business acumen withstanding. When Lady Gaga wore one of his deconstructed dresses on her first cover for the
March 2011 issue of American Vogue, he got an amazing response which is one sign of his
upward moving path in the fashion industry.
I, personally, connect with Ackermann on a number of levels in regards to fashion, and his views on life in general. Reading his interviews conducted by
W Magazine, I found that his perspectives correlate with how I, too, feel about how fashion relates to all of us. Like my own childhood, Ackermann led a very diverse and nomadic childhood which lends the ability to fit in everywhere. When asked why he became a fashion designer, he responded,
"We’re all in search of something. My search is for beauty, and that’s very important nowadays. My father works for Amnesty International, and of course we need people like him, but we also need people who are searching for beauty." In my fashion, the most beautiful thing to see on anyone is a pure, and unrestrained smile. For him, what he loves about fashion is that people always smile when you talk about it, which is one of my main reasons for my interest in fashion—to see people smile. Having so many people come and go from my life living as a military brat, I find helping people smile is the greatest gift I can leave behind for the people that I encounter. In my fashion, it is the one thing that leaves the biggest impression upon a person, and people remember the things that make them smile.
To me, having been exposed to so many different cultures, I find that at the end of the day, the things that bring people happiness are the only things that really matter in life, no matter where you live.
I adore the type of women Ackermann designs for, as well as his concept of "a luxury that’s a bit négligé, that can be rich but doesn't look rich." He continues to explain in one
W Magazine interview from January 2011 that, "The collection is quite hard. You need to have a kind of attitude to wear it. An attitude more than anything else makes a woman beautiful."
Ackermann believes in a discreet type of attitude, which is contrary to the bold and in-your-face attitude typically associated with a confident women. You can tell through his avant garde, yet nonchalant appealing design that the women he designs for would rather observe whats going on around her than to be in the spotlight, but in her own way she is just as much noticed as the women who commands attention as she sweeps through the room. The sexy type of women he designs for speaks to a woman’s "manly" side, and I think it's fascinating how he describes what exactly he means by the word "manly", considering he doesn't consider it androgynous sense :
"I think that a woman standing strongly, fighting to be desired, is very sexual." He also says that, " To show yourself is rather violent. But while she is in the light, she can be silent," which I find to be profoundly deep when you think about it. In my fashion, reading his philosophies on design and the way they tie into life, is like reading the ingredients of a dream. Like many fashion and beauty experts, his view on life is very influenced by the films of the Italian director, Luchino Visconti:
In Visconti movies, people suffer but look fantastic doing it. "Those are two important aspects of life. We have heavy hearts sometimes, but we still want to be desired."
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| Haider Ackermann Fall 2012 and Spring 2012 Collection looks |
In my fashion, Ackermann's poetic view of life would poise him to be an integral part of fashion's future. As for taking over at Chanel, I would hope to one day see this come to pass for it would definitely shake things up a bit. But alas, at the moment, Ackermann seems set on staying true to who he is, and his view of how a women should live in this life. If you continue reading the rest of this post you will find more in depth examples of the things and people in life that have heavily influenced him over the years. In my fashion, the following responses from his interview in the
August 2012 issue of W Magazine reveal aspects of life of which I think we all can relate to.
The wisest thing I learned from this interview was learning the meaning of "Errance—losing yourself by escaping to an unfamiliar place or just dreaming," which, in my fashion, is something we should practice daily, using fashion as a mechanism to do so. Read on to see where Ackerman finds errances in life, and see for yourself if you can concur with my opinion on whether Ackermann would fit for Chanel, or another brand like Givenchy.
I'm dying to hear your opinions, so don't hesitate to comment. For those who understand the needs of the Chanel women in regards to design, in my fashion, a future with Ackermann at the helm will yield most positive results for the continuance of the Chanel brand.
