Jan 29, 2007

80th anniversary of Chanel's "little black dress" celebrated at fashion show

By Janet Duca Norton / Society Columnist

We are all wearing our warmest winter clothes, but already it is springtime in the fashion world. And Neiman Marcus at Stanford Shopping Plaza hosted a fashion show luncheon for 55 customers and friends to show off the spring line on Jan. 16.

"We are incredibly excited to kick off the 2007 spring season with a Chanel Runway Fashion Show," general manager Terry Brown said. "Having all of our fashionistas here for lunch makes it even better."

It's the 80th anniversary of Chanel's "little black dress," and the show featured fun variations with pleats, spaghetti straps, low backs and ruffles. Similar styles were also shown in white.

But short flirty hemlines were big news. The '60s retro look featured showstopping short skirts worn with black sequined hot pants. Suit jackets were the same length as the short skirts. In addition to black and white, summer pastels, light denim blue and pink were also popular. Accessories included new flat shoes, high platform wedges and, of course, signature Chanel handbags and wide chain belts.

A black-and-white color scheme set a stylish background for the show. Circular glass bowls encircled by tea leaves were filled with white roses and sat upon black-draped tables.

Guests applauding the fashions and sampling colorful plates of crab salad, bistro chicken salad and coq au vin with truffled potato souffle included Lisa Mooring, Stephanie Harman, Donna Andrighetto, Karen Bacon, Deborah Stapleton, Joanette Chiuchiarelli, Gayle Conway, mother-daughter duo Shirley Matteson and Melissa Badger, and Sharene Chuang, who celebrated her birthday with her neighbor Michele Kirsch.

Dawn Neiderman, Susan Lucas, Susan Hendricks and Caroline Labe had fun trying on some of the samples while Kate Dubas, the Chanel buyer for Neiman's in Dallas, and Shirley Munyon, Chanel specialist at Stanford, pointed out details of the collection.