PARIS, Jan 28, 2005/ FW/ --- Trust Karl Lagerfeld to delve into history and then put his own twist, making it contemporary, new and literally ‘very polished’ as his Chanel’s ‘French Garden’ collection that was based on the 18th century, but did not look a day older than the current year.

With the old warehouse of the Paris Opera as the venue, the whole area was turned into a garden, complete with a fountain, a fitting setting for this ‘romantic collection,’ Chanel style of course.

To achieve this ‘romance,’ the classic Chanel suit was shown in dusty shades of oatmeal or ecru and shirts with overlong lace sleeves.

And for evening, a white and silver off the shoulder gown, to the style of Madame Pompadour shimmered at the bodice then morphed into delicate roses.

The strapless pink and ecru gown with a big bow just below the bust line will be a favorite among the young debutantes – it’s sweet and innocent.

Paired with pink shoes, again to the style of Madame Pompadour just made this one edgy. In fact, it looked like Karl Lagerfeld designed this for rock & roll princesses such as Theodora Richards who sat front row.

And in a season wherein celebrity sightings are few and far between, Chanel seemed to have attracted them all… Kylie Minogue , Marianne Faithfull, French actresses Anna Mougalallis were in attendance.

The collection was lovely, but the star of the show is the new porcelain jewelry, a seeming tribute to the success of Chanel’s new white watch line. So, actually, you cannot ask for more.

Chanel

Chanel

Chanel

Chanel