Rebirth of the Fashion King

Chapter 59 Series of Sketches

Li Xun quickly got back to work after his birthday.

The sketch paper on the office drawing table has been replaced time and time again.

He was preparing the seating arrangement for the show.

In a typical runway show, the audience seats are arranged along both sides of the runway, with the front row for media and important buyers, and the back row for secondary guests.

However, the show he prepared did not have a traditional catwalk; instead, a sphere was placed in the center, and models walked a circular path around the sphere.

This means that the audience seating must be arranged around the show venue, and all seats must have a good view, because there is no fixed "front".

Li Xun drew a concentric circle plan.

The innermost circle is a sphere with a diameter of fifteen meters.

The outer side of the sphere is a circular path through which the model walks.

The outer side of the path is the audience seating, which is divided into three levels.

The first tier features front-row sofa seating for top media, key buyers, and celebrity guests.

The second tier is tiered seating, 40 centimeters higher than the first tier. The third tier is another 40 centimeters higher.

The audience seating is not arranged in a single direction facing the sphere, but rather surrounds the entire show venue, with passageways only left in the four diagonal directions for models to enter and exit.

This means that no matter where the audience sits, they will see the model walking out from under the sphere, going around it,

Then it disappears behind the sphere, completing a circular narrative.

Li Xun arranged the revised drafts on the table in order.

The first image represents the overall concept of a sphere.

The second image shows the surface segmentation and the distribution of markers for all Chanel boutiques worldwide. The third image shows the lighting sequence and the dynamic lines of the music.

The fourth image shows the layout of the show venue.

He stood in front of the table and looked at it for a while.

This plan lacks a crucial element: its relationship with clothing.

  

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The runway installations cannot exist independently of the clothing; they must be a spatial extension of the clothing narrative.

Each of Karl Lagerfeld's major show installations is a materialization of the clothing theme: the carousel corresponds to the childlike silhouettes of Fall/Winter 2008, the facade of 31 Rue Cambon corresponds to the return of classic suits in Spring/Summer 2009, and the haute couture atelier corresponds to the handcrafted narrative of Fall/Winter 2009.

What does a globe correspond to?

Li Xun sat back down at the drawing table and turned to a new sheet of paper.

His pencil hovered above the paper for two seconds before he put pen to paper.

He didn't draw the clothing first, but instead wrote about the fabric system first.

Lesage Embroidery Workshop undertakes all the weaving and embroidery of twill.

Lemarié, the feather workshop, is responsible for feathers and three-dimensional flowers.

MicheI hat workshop, responsible for hats.

Massaro is a shoe workshop that specializes in footwear.

Goossens is a jewelry and accessories shop specializing in metal accessories.

Causse is a glove factory that produces gloves.

Barrie Knitwear Shop, specializing in knitwear.

These workshops form the framework of Chanel's ready-to-wear collections. The designs are not drawn out of thin air, but rather selected within the technical capabilities of these workshops.

A good ready-to-wear designer must first understand what tools they have at their disposal; this is essential.

Li Xun listed a matrix on the left side of the paper.

First column: Fabric type.

Second column: In charge of the workshop.

Third column: Craftsmanship characteristics.

Column 4: Application Directions for This Season

Lesage tweed – hand-woven, metallic blend, raw edge edging – coats, vests, skirts.

Knitted fabrics – Barrie – cable knit, mohair blend, pixel jacquard – tops, dresses, sleeves.

Leather—Chanel's own leather goods workshop—gloss patent leather, matte leather—leggings, gloves,

boots.

Organza – Lesage – a semi-transparent stiff tulle with three-dimensional embroidery – used in cover-ups and evening dresses.

Special coated fabrics – external suppliers – mirror quilted coating – mini skirts, leggings.

Time quickly came to noon.

Instead of hanging out with Karl Lagerfeld and Virginia Wiard as usual, he quickly ate a few bites, made himself a cup of coffee, and locked himself back in his office.

Because he needed to paint clothes and couldn't lose focus, he didn't plan to take a nap, even though he doesn't usually take naps anyway.

Ready-to-wear for Fall/Winter 2010.

Eight series, seventy-two looks.

From layered knitwear to tweed coats to sheer dresses—he had a complete picture in his mind.

A giant globe, models walking around it, metal chains, colorful plush helmets, and layered illusions—that was one of Chanel's most iconic collections in his later years.

The pencil fell.

The first choice should be a knitted set.

Knitwear is an easily overlooked category in Chanel's ready-to-wear line.

When people mention Chanel, they first think of tweed suits, little black dresses, and quilted bags.

But knitwear, especially heavy cable knits from the Barrie workshop, is the brand's most everyday luxury.

Li Xun painted very quickly.

The first outfit is an all-black chunky cable knit look.

He drew a female silhouette on the paper.

Instead of the standard nine-head proportions in fashion illustrations, the shoulders are slightly lowered, giving the whole body a relaxed and languid feel.

The top is a thick, three-dimensional cable knit wool sweater with a textured, heavy feel. He drew the direction of the cable knit, with alternating diamond twists and a honeycomb texture. The neckline features a double-layered ruffled collar and a small V-shaped slit.

A few minutes later, he picked it up and glanced at it, then stopped penciling and marked the neckline: "Inner metal chain exposed at the slit." A completely black knit could easily feel dull; it needed the luster of metal to break it up. Not a delicate necklace, but a wide, chunky chain with a thick clasp, from the Goossens workshop.

Once you've finished writing, move on to the next step.

The sleeves of this outfit are lantern-style three-quarter puff sleeves. Li Xun drew a tightened structure at the cuffs to create a loose, retro sleeve shape. The length of the garment reaches the thighs, and the hem is decorated with irregular diagonal wavy lace.

Next, draw the inner layer.

A cable-knit asymmetrical skirt in the same material, with varying lengths from shortest to longest in the back, the shortest point being mid-thigh and the longest point below the knee.

Instead of wearing regular stockings or bare legs, she paired them with black and silver tweed leggings.

The tweed itself has shimmering, multicolored threads, creating a contrast between the textures and the matte knit of the coat.

The shoes were shiny black pointed-toe high-heeled knee-high leather boots.

He labeled the boot shaft: smooth lambskin, structured and shaped, made by Massaro Shoe Workshop.

Li Xun wore multiple layers of wide, antique-style silver and tin bracelets on his wrist; he painted three layers, but the actual runway look likely had more.

A thick, clasp-adorned wide chain adorns the neck, echoing the metal chain exposed at the neckline slit.

The handbag is a black acrylic spherical evening bag with a lattice pattern embossed on the spherical surface, an inlaid matte double C logo, and a chain-link leather wrist strap.

The Planet Evening Bag is Li Xun's core signature item this season, featuring a black and gold color scheme that runs throughout his entire look.

The first all-black look is complete.

Li Xun glanced at it briefly and then drew the second set, creating a black-and-white contrast with the first set.

Off-white, lightweight honeycomb knit short jacket, boxy short silhouette, with two round pearl metal snap buttons.

The sleeves are three-quarter length with slightly flared cuffs, turned out to reveal the white lining. The neckline features a layered, three-dimensional, spherical, bubble-knit collar, with several curved lines added to emphasize this cloud-like volume.

The lower body is a black diamond-quilted cotton mini skirt, A-line style, short, made of thick and crisp fabric.

She wore the same black and silver shimmering tweed leggings as the one on the left.