Chanel Spring 2014 Couture

Karl Lagerfeld conceived the space in which he presented his Chanel couture show on Tuesday morning as “a futuristic nightclub” and not, he stressed, a “disco. That’s démodé.”

 He pulled off an ingenious fusion of serene and sporty, one swathed in otherworldly iridescence while shod in sneakers (albeit made by the specialty atelier Massaro, and elevated by applications of lace, tulle or beading). Every girl wore them, the better to skip merrily down those stairs, no matter how gussied up her look.

The collection was hyper-focused yet diverse. One major theme was the intense corsetry exposed between cropped jackets and belled skirts as well as breathe-freely waistless looks as different as divine diva gowns and a sheer T-shirt-and-bicycle shorts ensemble.

Such touches of overt sportif (that also included knee and elbow pads) integrated within a glorious lineup. Holding it all together: exquisite fabrics embroidered or hand-loomed and aglow with iridescent, transparent, holographic effects. Mesmerizing — yes. But practical, too, in that haute kind of way, a point driven home by thefootwear. Because Lagerfeld is nothing if not grounded.