My Outfit Inspiration: Paris Fashion Week

Every year, there seems to be dozens of “Fashion Weeks.” So many, I stop paying attention after a while. But I always tune in when Chanel sends a collection down the catwalk — and the Fall 2015 RTW collection was the inspiration for today’s post.

Blazer: Rachel Roy | Ruffled Top: 3.1 Phillip Lim | Pants: Madewell | Shoes: Jimmy Choo (Saks)
Blazer: Rachel Roy | Ruffled Top: 3.1 Phillip Lim | Pants: Madewell | Shoes: Jimmy Choo (Saks)

Unlike my last post, nothing in this outfit is actually Chanel. The beauty of Chanel is that it is classic and incessantly copied, so it’s incredibly easy to cobble together a Coco-Karl creation without setting foot at 31 Rue Cambon.

Karl Lagerfeld’s latest Chanel collection was inspired by a non-Parisian’s romantic notions of Parisian life. It is a fantastic premise — a collection inspired by a tourist’s imagination — tinged with over-embellished nostalgia.

Here was my direct inspiration for today’s outfit:

My inspiration: One of the looks from Chanel's Fall 2015 RTW collection.
My inspiration: One of the looks from Chanel’s Fall 2015 RTW collection.

Note the hyperbolic Chanel details — the enormous ruffles, the court shoes, the little tweed jacket. I turned down the volume on the craziness of the ruffles and the ribbon trimmings — in an outfit that could easily transition into the real world.

I created my own version with items that have already been on the blog — my ruffled “Seinfeld puffy/pirate” shirt (last seen here), the knock-off tweed jacket (last seen here) and my trusty Madewell pants (last seen here and here).

ruffledtop3

The Chanel show included 80 different outfits — but every single outfit was paired with the exact same classic court shoe. I love the resurgence of these ladylike, prim 1980s shoes — it reminds me of Princess Dana’s heyday. (She practically lived in her Chanel shoes for official appearances.)

My version are Jimmy Choo with a low heel — and they were a steal during the Christmas sale at Saks. (Proof that even luxury brands copy one another.)

The lower heel may not be the sexiest option, but they’re so comfortable, I can even do this:

ruffletop2