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Karl Lagerfeld: Princess Leia Goes to Rome

A futurist princess landed in Karl Lagerfeld’s show Sunday morning in Paris - one keen for a Vespa ride in the Eternal City.

Lagerfeld had the right gear for the blue bloods and her court – motorcycle helmets in chinchilla combined with fur stoles, mink breastplates and fox shoulders. Talk about opulent and way over the top, but dramatic and edgy too.

Lagerfeld’s galactic gals, in big, big Thunderbirds hair, worn pewter-hued heels with faux wrought iron spiral accoutrements and covers in clear plastic.

But when they had the crash gear on, the models looked comfortable and cool in tweed boucle safari jackets with cut off arms. The helmets were the latest Lagerfeld link-up, a deal with French luxury crash helmet manufacturer Ruby, and look liked instant collector’s items.

With fashion executives nervous about collapsing stock and property values and declining sales, it’s instructive to remember how things looked the last time we had a depression. Then, the iconic women of that era were explorers or lady down hill racers – and Karl had a ski motif in this collection – lots of sleek après ski jackets, though designed for downtown clubbing not Courcheval.

These young women were definitely on their way to party as they strutted out before speakers blaring a remix of Roxy Music’s classic “Do the Strand.”

And, in the smartest witticism, many of the models had ornate silver ear caps, in which one imagined were tiny headphones, the better for Leia to listen to, well, the Strand.

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