The presentation began with Lagerfeld’s directorial debut, Coco 1913/Chanel 1923, a ten-minute black and white silent film starring model Edita Vilkeviciute as Coco Chanel. In it, Coco lavishes praise on Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and later travels to Russia to mingle with the country’s elite, declaring, “I love the opulence of Czarist Russia. For my next collection, I’m going to mix all of that together.”
Full of imagery shot by Karl himself, Chanel’s Russian Connection includes stills from Coco 1913/Chanel 1923 as well snapshots taken inside the Chanel salon, where fittings still take place. In one picture, Natasha Poly’s pearly headdress and gilded shift blend perfectly with the backdrop, one of Coco’s own palatial, jeweled mirrors. Likewise, Karl Lagerfeld: Chanel’s Russian Connection highlights the strong correlation between the original Chanel couturier’s worldly interests and the internationally acclaimed empire her brand has become.