Something I always look forward to during Paris Fashion Week, is seeing Chanel‘s set design because it’s very intriguing to see what the next “Karl-Wonder” will be, and how he’s going to top the one from the previous season. Time and again, he never disappoints. For this Spring/Summer 17 show, he turned the show space into the “Chanel Data Centre, made to look like a giant data storage room where servers are kept.

If the show space gave any indication to what we could expect from the collection, we got just that, and then some. The show opened with cyborgian models whose faces we couldn’t see because of the headgear that was reminiscent of the Stormtroopers in Star Wars, with white boots, gloves, and headgear to boot. See what I mean?

And then out came models in caps worn sideways, with lots of tweed suits paired with box-pleated and lace skirts, in all sorts of colours ranging from monochrome and pastels, to dark, rich tones. This, to me, exuded a more youthful and somewhat preppier vibe. My favourites were the dresses with  vibrant tropical hues which were part-athleisure and part Hamptons-ready summer wear, with a motif that most resembled a dance of colourful data cables. I have to say, though, that I haven’t really liked any Chanel Ready-to-Wear for many, many seasons, now, so this wind of change (well to me anyway), is a nice surprise.

In terms of the bags, there were some new quilted drawstring ones, some that looked as if they came crushed, and oversized clutches that looked more like portfolio cases.

Honestly, I wasn’t too taken with their day bags because they were kind of simple and similar to what’s already in stores. The iridescent leather ones, quite frankly, looked a little too el cheapo, but the iridescent hardware on the white perforated Boy bag below, was quite lovely. I know perforation isn’t something new, but if you think about it carefully, in this collection, given that the theme is computer-related, it’s quite clever really, because it actually resembles those “holes” on the circuit boards (sorry I don’t know the actual computer geek term for those holes, but I think you know what I mean). And I guess that’s why my favourite day bag is that oversized black perforated zip-top clutch with the iridescent green spots shining through the perforation, and for evening, I’m with the robot minaudière because it’s just way too cute and I’m quirky like that.

Images via Vogue Runway