"Graphic effects!" exclaimed the designer backstage before he was swamped by well-wishers. Right. And there were plenty of them in his Spring collection, from the waspish silhouettes to the laser-sharp pleated dresses and bold prints.
Lagerfeld flitted from one theme to the next in his quest for a striking statement. Tough-shouldered jackets and stiff little skirts in croc-stamped leather were swiftly replaced by a fleet of sinuous, slithering sheath dresses—some with Grecian folds, others that clasped at the shoulder with a silver buckle. Next up, a couple of bikini-clad beach babes, whose jersey robes fell to the floor at the pull of a strap. Then came the faded denim: a natty cropped jacket here, a curvy pinafore there. These were hotly pursued by dainty chiffon dresses—in chocolate, black, or coral—given a graphic twist with shoulder straps and waistbands cut from sparkling shagreen.
Of course, the proceedings wouldn t be complete without the designer s obligatory strict black suits, worn with crisp white shirts, high starched collars, thin black neckties, and super-svelte skirts of both the mini and pencil persuasion. Nor would the show be the same without one of Lagerfeld s witty, self-mocking edicts: T-shirts, as slender as the designer himself, were branded with the message "4 Slim People." As if there was any doubt.
