90s Chanel: The most iconic runway moments by Karl Lagerfeld

by Shreya S

My love for fashion was greatly influenced by Chanel, it the first brand I heard of, it was the first I wanted to own, it was the first I loved. And when I think of Chanel the first pictures in my head are always from the 90s runway, no matter how many collections follow, that era will always be synonymous with fashion. 90’s fashion has a special place in my heart. I truly love watching old fashion shows, they provide us with a divine and cathartic experience.

Chanel introduced its RTW(it was only Couture before this) line in 1978 and 5 years later Karl Lagerfeld took over as the creative director. So basically ’80s and ’90s were totally Karl, and around the time he took over Chanel was not at its best. Karl revamped the brand but just enough to keep that ‘Chanel’ factor prioritized. That era of Chanel was something else be it the tiny skimpy bikinis, bright Chanel suits, or the ridiculously extravagant bags. And the way he played with tweed and wild colors, it was simply wonderful. No matter which look you choose, when you look at it and you’ll know instantly it is Chanel. The cherry on top, you have the OG supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, and many many more. For me, this was the best of Chanel, I do love my vintage stuff but this nothing beats this. This decade defined Chanel for me and is probably why I love Karl a little too much.

Now, the Karl era is dreamier than ever. Karl did it all, he was extravagant, glamorous, and impactful. From supermarkets to spaceships, icebergs to data centers, his runway sets were as greatly anticipated as the collection itself. He adapted the Chanel classics into trendy and yet somehow timeless pieces. He incorporated the channel logo in such an elegant manner that it enhances the value of that product whereas if you see a logo splattered item now it might be labeled tacky or even cheap. Chanel has two legacies now, Coco Chanel and Lagerfeld.

Fitting a decade worth of looks into a blog was quite a task but find my very very Chanel runway moments from the ’90s below.