In the dream we are very close

　　

(Reuters) - Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld dreamt up a deep-sea fantasy world for his spring-summer collection this week, parading models between giant coral reefs and huge alabaster fish for a lighthearted show that winked at the brand's younger clientele.
In signature big-budget style, Lagerfeld created an imaginary landscape worthy of a Hollywood production under the glass roof of Paris' Grand Palais showroom, filling out the vast floor space with ash-white sand, giant twisting fish and looming plants cut from styrofoam.
The ready-to-wear presentation, a day before the end of Paris fashion week, was an homage to the uplifting power of light: whites, shimmering pinks and pale greens all conjured up the image of cocktail parties by the beach.
"It was utterly extravagant to the extreme -- lovely," U.S. actress Uma Thurman, dressed in a Chanel tweed dress and Byzantine-inspired coat, told reporters.
Angled for a younger crowd, the show mixed classical fare with trendy-looking short-cut jackets with some models revealing tattoos on their necks -- a rarity at typically laced-up Chanel.
Most commented upon in the audience were a series of bright white, uber-simple skirt suits made from a comfortable-looking, quilted material whose only decorative aspect was a few interlocking black rectangles.
"I have to get away from the house codes on purpose in order to make my way back to them, it's part of the game," Lagerfeld, dressed in dark jeans and a black jacket, told journalists after the show. "This is a departure, a diversification and an illumination all at once."
A series of see-through anoraks worn with swimwear caught the eye, while pearls -- dotted along the spine, encrusted into jacket sleeves, or in a single-string belt slung low about the waist with a skirt suit -- featured heavily.
"It's just a very fine black line, and the chain around the waist is a pearl necklace, which has moved down slightly," he said. "Those anoraks, they are good for the beach."
In the audience, celebrities fawned over the operatic aspect of Lagerfeld's show -- which typically combine an element of the stage and the concert hall with the usual catwalk fare.
"There is no one who is quite as much as a polymath as (Lagerfeld) is," said Thurman. "The show was utterly extravagant to the extreme."
Lagerfeld had invited British singer Florence Welch to provide a live musical accompaniment to the show, giving fans of her band "Florence and the Machine" a welcome surprise when halfway through the show she appeared and began to sing, accompanied by a harp-playing sea god.
"She is my favourite singer," he said. "I have just done the cover of her album. I love her voice."