Chanel Editorial

The editorial campaign for this collection is much more casual and down to earth than the catwalk collection. The catwalk is usually known for being more high fashion, whereas the editorial has a further reach, being shown on multiple platforms such as magazines and the internet. In order to understand the full intention of editorials, I researched and found that they are images that 'tell a story or suggest that there is a back story to the photo', and that they are 'more about the mood and the situation the garments would be worn in' (What is editorial fashion photography?, 2015) Editorials do not intend to explicitly sell the brands' products, but more display them in a way that is appealing and unconventional to a shop or a catwalk.

Here are Chanel's S/S 2016 editorial images:

I also found them present in magazines that I bought, such as 'Love' Magazine and 'Pop' Magazine':

I found the Chanel editorials within the first pages of the magazines, meaning that they paid a lot in order to have the first coverage. 'Love' and 'Pop' magazines are unconventional, youthful and daring magazines that are a strong juxtaposition from the likes of 'Vogue' and 'Harper's Bazaar' where you would stereotypically find a Chanel editorial. However, in the ever-growing world of fashion, trends are changing and the strange, liberal and eccentric nature of these magazines is becoming high fashion instead of remaining underground. Chanel has 2 spreads in each magazine, followed by a lot of other high fashion houses such as Prada and Gucci, which shows that all of these brands are intending to portray a new image and reach a new audience/ consumer market. This being young, wealthy, fashionable 'troublemakers'. 

I think that the story behind this editorial emulates this: it's a rebellion against Chanel's previous reputation and a new image for them that represents freedom and a new mix of high and low culture that is now almost deemed fashionable. 

A video for this campaign was created, named 'City Western':

Having been shot in Brooklyn, New York, this shoot is a far cry from the Chanel Airport display at the Grand Palais, Paris. Despite this, it still tells the story of travel. To me, it is a mix of high and low culture that grounds Chanel and tones down its former untouchable reputation. The story behind it seems to be two fashionable, almost tear-away women that travel to a place that is different to where they come from, and they are attempting to run away from their former lives. 

In terms of makeup, they have kept it simple here too, opting for a natural skin with bold, angled eyeliner. To me the eyeliner replicated the look of bold eyelashes, especially on the bottom lash line, which I thought was an allusion to the bold eyelash trend. 

In addition to this, the common conceptions of thick black eyeliner are rebellion, attitude and independence, which supports my theory that this is the impression Chanel want to give off. Moreover, the hairstyles of both models are free and unstyled, most notably on the other model, which gives the impression of a laid back personality:

Therefore from my analysis it is clear that this editorial has a strong message conveyed which had the intention of giving Chanel an up to date reputation, which has been cleverly placed in magazines that are read by their new intended audience and intended consumers. In addition to this, it has helped me in determining what is needed for an editorial and what sets it aside from the catwalk and especially from the advert, which can sometimes be hard to distinguish as they are both prints.

Sources

What is editorial fashion photography? (2015) Available at: http://www.sheebamagazine.com/read/what-is-editorial-fashion-photography/ (Accessed: 20 February 2016).

Talent, V. (2016) Chanel SS16 video campaign. Available at: http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2016/01/chanel-ss16-video-campaign/ (Accessed: 20 February 2016).