Sunday Reads: Christine Chiu Reveals a Glimpse of a Rarified World

Haute couture is a fantastical world of brilliant, opulent and magical magnitude. It is an invitation into the minds and souls of the world’s most innovative and acclaimed fashion designers—to experience their vision in a spectacular way. Following the week’s worth of incredible shows, atelier visits, lavish lunches and dinners, galas and after parties, here are some of my favorite moments from the Autumn/Winter 2015/2016 Haute Couture season.

It’s every little girl’s dream come true: a private visit to Madame Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s famed and eccentric apartment on 31 Rue Cambon. The glamorous mirrored spiral stairway from the Chanel Haute Couture studio led me to the door and into the heart of Coco Chanel. Inside, the decadent apartment is a treasure trove of objects, furnishings and décor, all of which were the inspiration for and reflection of Chanel. I could have spent hours in the surreal apartment learning about Coco’s fears, curiosities, fascinations and superstitions that are all magnificently manifested in the Chanel we know today.

Karl Lagerfeld, longtime creative director for Fendi Fur, showcased Fendi Haute Fourrure (couture fur) for the very first time on the stage of Theater Champs-Élysées. Perfectly equipped with Fendi binoculars in one hand and champagne in the other, we were seated in private suites to enjoy a theatrical presentation of beautiful and exotic fur gowns and coats. Private cars then whisked us to Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, where the evening carried on with a grand dinner hosted by Pietro Beccari, CEO of Fendi.

Continue reading here…