Pictures courtesy Chanel

The much-hyped Chanel Métiers d’Art event happened today and even this not-usually-Chanel-fan liked it. So what were the key pieces/directions from the show?

1. Cape detail

Cape coats and caped dresses were a key part of the collection with the detail working equally well in heavy-but-soft tweeds as in lighter dress silks and cottons.

2. Quirky heels

We’re on the edge of a new era with heel heights coming down from the crippling heights of the past decade. But designers want to make sure that, if heels are a little lower, they’re still impossible to miss. Looking great (if slightly precarious) in a high-cut mule, they’re the driving trend focus of the most directional shoes.

3. Skirts-over-trousers

This slow-burn trend has been cropping up here and there in recent months. Chanel is backing it with an approach that’s much smarter and sharper than its 90s predecessor, for which we can only say “Thank you Karl”.

Pictures courtesy Chanel

4. Statement hosiery

A year ago it was all about heavier knits, this time it’s black lace, given more of a statement edge via bands of sheer and lace contrasting against each other. It’s a complete about-face from a world driven by no hosiery summers and plain opaque winters.

5. Camera bag

Chanel loves its novelty bags and this time the star piece is a tribute to Rome’s Cinecittà studios. Can’t take it seriously? Don’t dismiss it – the novelty bag and kidult trends make pieces like these surprisingly commercial.

6. Hoop-la

Is it a hoop? Is it a door handle? Does it matter? Used as hardware on belts or bags, or as the focal point of the brand’s key jewellery offer, it’s a detail that’s not-to-be-missed.

7. Pleats

The longer pleated skirt may have hit the mainstream but it’s still being embraced at the high-end too. For Chanel, long and lean is the dominant silhouette with pleats kept understated.

Pictures courtesy Chanel

8. Banding

The band – lace bands, sheer bands, gilt-edged bands and more – was a key detail for SS16 and this collection continues the theme (as does the Red Valentino collection, also released today). Whether the fabrics are sheer or solid, the key is the contrast of colours, textures and patterns.

9. The slip

SS16’s slip dresses look set to continue into pre-fall keeping after-dark dressing both ultra-simple and ultra-sexy.

10. Big hair

Less a trend than a styling decision, I had to include it as I love this kind of hair.