Lagerfeld predicts grey winter

An enormous set of non-functioning organ pipes constructed in the rotunda of the Grand Palais set the mood for Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel collection on Tuesday. From where his guests sat, it made for an expensive curiosity, one clarified as the models started walking. The motif: tubing, as seen in the bold stiffness of an overblown sleeve and the elongated striped torso construction of many a dress.

Yet while the trick could have gone quickly awry, it didn't, as Lagerfeld refused to let his witty editorial conceit du jour trample his self-imposed mandate to cater overtly to the stylistic whims of an ever-adoring clientele with a wealth of must-have clothes and accessories.

Jackets shimmered with tube-like silver beading, fringing and crystals. Coats were curved and fluted to represent the rhythm of organ music. Knee-skirts were cut bubble-style or "hobbled" in at the knee with coruscated pleats.

The mood became a mix of modernist and mediaeval as the 64-piece collection moved from day to after-dark. Cocktail dresses featured pin-tucked details at waist and shoulder to add a turbo-charge to the silhouette. Long gowns in metallic taffeta had semi-detached sleeves, pleated into tiny, corrugated ruffles.

The palette of metallic greys and black was shot with the occasional burst of bright cyclamen and pink.

Lagerfeld gave the couture plenty to swoon over, presenting as he did a spectacular collection that, coupled with the unbearable heat beneath the venue's greenhouse-effect glass dome, had just about everyone longing for the chill air of autumn.

Chez Chanel, for a woman to look ultrachic isn't enough. A frock isn't fabulous unless it makes her feel fabulous. That's the ultimate fashion statement, and what his collection is all about.