Combat boots and bowlers: Chanel women dress for 'not that sweet' world

"Women need to be ready to defend themselves ... in a world that is not that sweet," Lagerfeld commented on his 'harsh' designs

Veteran Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld, sent his models down the catwalk on Tuesday ready for a world that is "not that sweet" in black leather combat-style boots with hard and flattened bowler-shaped hats.
High heels were nowhere to be seen as models walked for half a mile, snaking around rows of gilded chairs to the sound of techno music.
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"Women need to be ready to defend themselves ... in a world that is not that sweet," Lagerfeld, 82, told Reuters after the show.
"It's not the bourgeois cocktail hat, the ladylike hat, this is another kind of hat, I wouldn't say aggressive, but more protective," he said.
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His collection included dozens of the brand's classic tartan suits in all shapes and colours, worn with multiple rows of pearls, some mixed denim, leather and fringes. Models also wore long black leather gloves that zipped at the back.
This time round, Lagerfeld, who has been Chanel's artistic director since 1983, made sure that everyone had a front row seat. Guests included Pharrell Williams and Willow Smith.
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"Everybody dreams of being on the front row and today, everybody got to be on the front row and everybody could see the details ... so nobody could complain," he said.
Three male models closed the show, Lagerfeld said, because the brand had a "huge following" among men in countries such as Japan, South Korea and China.
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