My favorites from Chanel's 2015 Runway & Couture shows ...

Straight from Wikipedia ... Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. She is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Along with Paul Poiret, Chanel was credited with liberating women from the constraints of the "corseted silhouette" and popularizing the acceptance of a sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-World War I era. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel's influence extended beyond couture clothing. Her design aesthetic was realized in jewelry, handbags, and fragrance. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, has become an iconic product.

I've watched every movie ever made about Coco Chanel and I have long admired the style of the clothes and accessories she designed. Today, Karl Lagerfeld is the designer for Chanel, and his recent stuff isn't bad.

For the longest time, I couldn't understand haute couture. I love fashion, but I didn't "get" the outrageousness of the fashion shows or the high prices of the clothes. In reality, who can afford $3,000 for a handbag or a pair of shoes? Seriously.

Then, Meryl Streep explained it to me, here.

Then I got it.

So, you're probably asking how I got here, today, writing about it on my blog .

The "IT" bag. VOGUE had a little online survey of which of ten handbags would be the "IT" bag for 2015. I picked the Chanel flap bag with all the funky embellishments. IF I was going to buy a Chanel bag for the season, THIS is the one I would purchase.

The advertising slogan for this bag is quite likable. "Carry some wisdom into spring: All you need in life is peace, love, understanding, and Chanel." But, with a price tag of $3,800, this chickadee won't be sporting Chanel's Flap Bag. She'll be looking for the style of the bag at a lower end, like Macy's or Nordstrom. The flap bag is not a new design. I have a nice leather flap bag from Eddie Bauer in my handbag collection that dates back to the 1990s. It is a classic design. What Chanel has done with it here is they've made it fresh again. And, I'm betting you'll see flap bags everywhere this year.

Just watch.

2015 Runway Collection
This modern take on the classic Chanel "look" includes that adorable Flap Bag! I liked that all of the models in this series of designs are wearing shimmering gold stockings and gold shoes with black wingtips. It accents the clothes and keeps the focus on the clothes.

Lagerfeld likes black. And, he uses it well throughout the Runway collection. I especially like the modern skirt suit and the skirt & pants/leggings. I would wear these clothes. I'd wear those shoes, too. No high heels was a welcome sight!

So modern, yet so classic.

Leggings and skirts. Is this a trend? 

Chanel 2015 Couture Collection

 Cute suit, but does she look angry to you? 

Is it the makeup or the model?

This looks more like it, don't you think? The Chanel suit in a soft pink and that little knitted hat? Love it! It works with those black boots, too.

The skirt will trickle down. Young women can bare their belly button, but, a little higher on the waist works for us more "mature" ladies.  It's the black belt that makes the skirt so likeable. It's a great visual element.

I just like the whole look. It's so Karl Lagerfeld.

I like that every model is wearing those black booties. No sky high heels. OMG! Comfortable shoes from haute couture? No way! What a concept!

The cut of the top is so classic Chanel. It appears again in this collection and I'm betting it will appear off the runway come spring/summer.

I like how the black belt is used with the floral skirt. It works here as well as it worked with the pink skirt from earlier in the collection. Doesn't detract from the colors. Adds a great design element.

This was a big surprise.
So Barbie-esque.
Pink.
Bow at the waist.
Sparkles elongating the figure.
And, then, that fluffy pink hat just really tops it off!

I can see a young lady at her prom, dressed in Chanel!

I just like everything about this dress.
I do not like that eye makeup.

This is too cutesy for past 25, but the pieces are adorable. I love ruffles and Peter Pan collars and the pale color and print strike a charming contrast to those black boots and that "I'm mad" eye makeup.

Again, the use of black as a design element. Well done.
And, there's that blouse again. We'll be seeing that come spring. I'm sure of it.

Karl Lagerfeld is the master of reinvention, having repeatedly transformed himself as well as his labels. He is currently the  creative director of Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous label. He has previously designed for Chloe and created a range for H&M. In 2014, Mattel released the Karl Lagerfeld Barbie which sold out immediately.  She is coveted among collectors.

I love fashion, which might explain why I am so enamoured of fashion dolls. They can wear all the things I cannot. I wore sky high heels, short skirts and long hair when I was a young woman. But, as life dictates, things change. And, all of that has changed for me. As Lagerfeld lost weight so he could wear the clothes of a certain designer he fancied, I've had to find new designers who create clothes that I want to wear.  Us boomers are still a market AND we have more money than the 18-to-34 demographic. Whether I'd spend it on the Chanel Flap Bag is a horse of a different color. I could change my mind, you know ...