Karl Lagerfeld likes the clash of styles and cultures that comes with asking indie rock superstar Cat Power to perform at a couture show. This January, Chan Marshall and company rocked the beehives off the heads of the ladies who lunch at the Chanel Haute Couture presentation in Paris. Between shopping sprees, late nights at Hotel Costes, and running into Anna Wintour at Miu Miu (she gave her blessing), Dana Wachs kept a diary of all the goings-on. Here are her excerpts.
Day 1: Arrive on the red eye and notice very polite customs agents compared to JFK. Lunch at Costes, then onto the arctic Grand Palais where we meet the incredible production team and commence rehearsals. The glass dome ceiling of the Palais does not pose as much of an acoustical problem as we anticipated, and it is Chan’s birthday, so a great night all around. Back to the Costes for a late birthday dinner…
Day 2: Jet lag has no mercy on this trip, and we are forced to watch European MTV, (all videos, all the time!), and watch the sun rise on rue Cambon. Sleep takes us from late morning to late afternoon, waking up just in time for a quick shopping trip on Rue Honore to Colette, Miu Miu, and Vanessa Bruno. Then, back to the Grand Palais for another technical rehearsal for the rest of the night. Chan ends the night with an impromto jam session, with herself on drums.
Day 3: The day of the show! It’s a very early morning call for the 11am show, (too bad we have not adjusted yet, and our bodies are working on as little as 30 minutes sleep). A couple rehearsals with the models walking, then back to the dressing room to stay warm until we get the call for the show. From the stage, one can see the masses arrive. You can tell when someone famous arrives by the mass movement of the film cameras and boom mics to one specific spot in the front row. It is exciting and absurd at the same time. It is finally showtime and the band (Greg Foreman on keys, Eric Paparozzi on bass, Jim White on drums, and Judah Bauer on guitar), vamp on Moby Grape’s “Naked If I Want To” as Chan makes her entrance. The models begin to walk and the music perfectly complements the seasons aesthetic…modern takes on classic mid to late century form. The band is killing it…even Madame Chirac is tapping her foot…with more covers of the Rolling Stones and Otis Redding. The Bride comes out, making her rounds in a magnificent hooded cloak of white feathers, a curtain opens produced Karl Lagerfeld and everyone from the atelier, steps onto the runway to a standing ovation. The next couple hours are for drinking champagne, watching people clamor to congratulate the band, (Marianne Faithfull loved the cover of “Satisfaction" and André Leon Talley was giggling like a groupie that Chan waved at him during the show). Everyone declares the show a great success… Dana Wachs
