So is haute couture experiencing its decline? Not at the house of Chanel, that has over the years proved itself the epitome of Parisian chic and sophistication. The houses latest fall-winter 2004/2005 collection, presented by Karl Lagerfeld yesterday at the Atelier Berthier in Paris, consisted entirely of black and white couture masterpieces, including a few tans and browns to bring in diversity. The brilliant white space of Atelier Berthier, normally used to store opera costumes, was perfectly suited to showcase Chanel’s gracious outfits.

This time, Karl Lagerfeld decided to diverge from his previous collections’ sporty style and to completely omit pants, focusing on more ladylike silhouettes. Dresses, coat dresses and skirts where this season’s fetish at Chanel. The models sported tweed plaid suites with short wraparound skirts and young and fun-looking newsboy caps, transparent sequined cocktail dresses worn together for a multilayer effect, and bicolored black pumps with instep straps.

As if in a tribute to the label’s founder Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld has ones again proved that there is nothing more sophisticated than Chanel’s dictinctive and simple elegance.

The show wrapped up with Lagerfeld himself stepping out to bow to the guests, followed by waiters passing drinks and champagne.

“We strongly believe in couture," Francoise Montenay, president of Chanel fashion house, has just recently told Women's Wear Daily. "As long as Karl (Lagerfeld) is Karl, we will never have any questions about couture because we know he's so good at it."

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