If there is fashion equivalent for a gear head, I am it. Pretty fabrics are fine and all, but I really want to know about seams and pockets and collars. Chanel is releasing a series of videos centered around their Paris-Shanghai Metiers d’Art collection that satisfies my cravings for process. The Chanel Metiers d’Art collection is a line that celebrates the work of Parisian craft ateliers that Chanel has acquired over the years–Lesage embroidery, feather artisans Lemarié, the millinery house of Michel, etc. The collection will be shown in Shanghai on December 4 and takes inspiration from that city (where Chanel happens to be opening a new boutique next week).

In the videos, Karl Lagerfeld sketches at holds court at over seamstresses, helpers and fit models at 31 rue Cambon. They and and the Kaiser sort fabric swatches, talk belt placement and change designs on the fly. There will be a new episode every few days leading up to the show. It looks like it’s going to be a pretty fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how a collection comes together. You can sign up for alerts at the chanel-paris-shanghai.com mini-site.

Check out the first two episodes after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »