The Lagerfeld Look

At first glance, the catwalk extravaganzas of Karl Lagerfeld, designer of Chanel, seem a little perverse. After all, there is barely a woman in Paris, London or New York who would not jump at the chance to own a classic Chanel tweed jacket or quilted chain-handle handbag.

Yet every season, Lagerfeld fills a vast venue - yesterday, the glass-roofed hall of the Grand Palais - with adoring fans, and proceeds to tease them mercilessly. For every tweed suit, there are five pairs of cycling shorts; the odd two-tone pump is hidden in a stampede of ruched slouchy boots.

But Lagerfeld is a genius of branding: he understands that the psychology of fashion is a seduction, with women doing the chasing, and is adept at working this to his advantage. He knows fashionable women have a macho tendency, if given what they said they wanted, to treat the prize carelessly, and quickly lose respect for the giver; to keep their interest, a designer needs to be difficult.

The theme of the collection, which will be in store next spring, was Coco meets James Dean. The first suit shown was a denim blouson jacket, worn with tight jeans and a ponytail; Teddy Boy cardigans and hats were worn by boys and girls. Full, girlish skirts, looking better suited to Coke floats with two straws than kir royales in the Paris Ritz, were finished with ponytails and flat shoes.

The unlikely alliance of Coco and James Dean enables Lagerfeld to show off the versatility and suppleness which keeps Chanel current. Classic Chanel jackets have a heavy chain threaded inside their hem, a trick which keeps the shape defined. In yesterday's show, these chains were made visible, attached to the outside of the jackets.

It is worth noting, however, that the front row wore demure tweed suits and quilted handbags, as they do every season.