Ice, ice baby!

For CHANEL’S Fall 2010 collection, Karl Lagerfeld wanted to ensure the arctic scene at the runway show was so realistic that he went above and beyond to ensure an authentic ice-age feel.

For the six days leading up to the Chanel Fall 2010 show, Karl Lagerfeld had the thirty-five person team who sculpted The Ice Hotel in Sweden brought in to carve a 265-ton, 28 feet tall iceberg, also imported from Sweden, in the middle of the Grand Palais.

The room was chilled to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and the iceberg was hidden from the audience under a large wooden box that mechanically rose when the show started.

The “three bears on an ice flow” theme became apparent as soon as models emerged in head to toe fur ensembles. Giant chunks of ice formed the glacial sculpture around which the models hit the catwalk. Shaggy snow boots with ice-block heels and two-tone shoes covered with plastic galoshes kept the models feet dry as the ice slowly melted, causing their yeti boots and long trains to trail through the frigid water.

The Kaiser took the cause so much to heart that he filled the collection with fur, albeit fake fur. In a fashion first, Karl decided to promote chic environmentalism with a collection loaded with lush furs (tops, pants, bags, and boots) which was all faux.

“It’s so good now, technical advances are so perfect you can hardly tell fake fur from the real thing,” he said backstage. “Fake is not chic – we have got a new Chanel tweed to stop copies – but fake fur is.”

“It’s not global warming, it’s global-cooling!”

The house’s exquisite craftsmanship was on full display as Lagerfeld transported us to the North Pole with a collection that makes you yearn for cooler climates simply for the chance to wear the luxe apparel.

Fur was flying everywhere – wild fur pants, boots, and coats. Fur trim adorned tweed jackets, explorer backpacks and chain-handled bags.

The classic quilted shape of Chanel’s 2.55 bag was updated with rich tweeds mixed with “fantasy fur” for a warm and cozy alternative to classic lambskin.

Glacial jewelry added a sparkling sheen with sparkling ice-inspired jewelry and rock-crystal accessories.

With frosty hairdos, Lagerfelds’ ice queens wore winter white dresses while carrying clear Lucite minaudieres in which the quilting of the Chanel classic bag had been frozen into the likeness of an ice cube tray.

For the finale, a wedding dress knitted in silk tulle ribbon formed a tight-fitting sweater which swept away. The fashionable ice-queen carried an ice-block purse on a fur-woven Chanel chain.