Black hedges, a little boy, and why Chanel is worth it

Upon entering the Grand Palais on Tuesday morning, the look and feel of Karl Lagerfeld’s set for Chanel was of a French formal garden. Model after model entered and strolled around the black hedges as through on promenade at the Tuileries.

At the other end of this time spectrum, a tiny blond boy walked in the show, grasping the hand of a male model, each of them wearing a white Chanel jacket. The child gazed in amazement at the sprawling space full of people. One can only imagine what that memory will be like for him years from now.

In his collection, Mr. Lagerfeld took the season’s preoccupation with lace to the couture level. Skirts and dresses were made of laces of many textures — most intriguingly, some with a cubist pattern that reminded me of shattered glass.

A series of suits of traditional Chanel tweed suits were formed by stitching together horizontal ribbons of the fabric, creating another lovely shattered look. These textiles and manufacturing methods are the reason Chanel clothes cost the moon.