Chanel Couture F 09

The thing about the Chanel empire... it's Karl vs. Karl. With one spectacular manifestation after the next it's a constant race to beat all previous efforts and shows with the latest. It's usually such an easy task for Karl Lagerfeld, but not so much this time. With the prior three collections having such a distinct essence - S 2009 couture, all white, F 2009 RTW, reinvention of the classics, and 2010 RST, glamorous Marchesa Casati and Venice Lido - what was the Fall 2009 Couture supposed to represent? Despite all this, I did appreciate the hats, hair, and accessories.