We’re still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Karl Lagerfeld as the house of Chanel is still trying to find its footing in his absence. Back in March, Virginie Viard presented Lagerfeld’s last collection for the iconic French fashion house and now the campaign is finally here. Styled by Carine Roitfeld, models Kris Grikaite, Rebecca Leigh Longendyke, Vittoria Ceretti, Jing Wen and Mona Tougaard appear in the studio-shot ads. The collection is showcased beautifully since the girls were captured before a clean white backdrop with the sleek art direction paying tribute to Lagerfeld’s Chanel campaigns from the 90s.
The campaign received mixed reviews on our forums. “It looks so badly Photoshopped. Like they shot a lookbook and merged all the girls together. And everyone’s hair doesn’t look good. I’m still waiting for the rest, but kind of disappointed,” voiced Ivanovaju after checking out the first campaign image (above).
“If they were shot together, it would have looked more fluid and natural. Instead they look completely disjointed. They all have a different expression, it’s quite awkward to see them put together. Virginie has absolutely no taste or imagination,” critiqued GivenchyHomme.
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“A shame really because I like the clothes, but this looks like America’s Next Top Model,” said Nymphaea.
Also majorly underwhelmed was dodencebt: “Is this what Chanel is going to be now? The in-house team shooting the campaigns in a Lagerfeld-esque style that looks even cheaper than the original?”
“Seriously…Karl deserved better. This is a wonderful collection, a very important collection that closed a very important era in fashion and to have a mediocre amateur lookbook is a pity,” Lola701 pointed out.
Although not everyone felt let down by the outcome. “After getting the Chanel: The Karl Lagerfeld Campaigns book a while back and having looked through it from cover to cover, I cannot help but love this for how it resembles Karl’s earlier campaigns from the 90s in terms of layout and styling — and I think that’s very fitting for the first without Lagerfeld,” approved vogue28.
“I actually love the simplicity of this campaign,” echoed zacatecas570.
Forum member aracic felt the same way. “I definitely agree, this turned out to be one of the best Chanel campaigns in recent memory. Although it may seem like a lookbook due to its simplicity, I find a certain beauty in it. The frames add a lot to it, too.”
See more from Chanel’s Fall 2019 advertising campaign and share your thoughts here.