(Photo: Karl Lagerfeld/Chanel via source)
Although World Aids Day is an unquestionably worthier way to mark December 1, it also marks the premiere of something unquestionably silly but still fun: a seven-minute film by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. Reincarnation stars Pharrell in a dream sequence set in the 19th century and co-stars Cara Delevingne as the wife of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I, Empress Elisabeth (1837-1898) - who preferred Sisi.
Salzburg is this year's setting for the brand's annual Métiers d’Art show and is an homage to the Austrian origins of Chanel's most iconic piece. “The Chanel jacket was actually inspired by an Austrian men’s jacket," explains Kaiser Karl. When Coco was on holiday in Austria, she apparently became enamored with the uniform worn by a hotel elevator operator - the character played by Pharrell.
Real-life Pharrell also penned the mini-movie's soundtrack, a duet called "CC the World" which not only refers to Chanel's interlocking "Cs" logo, but also puns the Empress's nickname.
Clever, yes. Maybe exhaustingly so, maybe not. However, it is certainly refreshing to see a fashion campaign with some kind of substance to it, even if Cara D's megapopularity remains more than mystifying to me.
To watch Reincarnation when it drops on December 1, 2014, visit Chanel.com.
- Lesley Scott
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