The Tale Of Chanel Couture

When Chanel brought its couture collection to London for the first time in the fashion house's history last month, we delved beneath the mille-feuille of tulle to find out exactly what is required to create a couture collection of dreams.

As each Chanel haute couture look arrived on Karl Lagerfeld's glamorous greenhouse-themed runway in The Grand Palais this January, each elicited a sigh of desire longer than the last. Floral epaulettes, all-over sequins, rainbow-hued bouclé-tweed, and flowers absolutely everywhere made up his spring / summer 2015 vision. But it takes more than an idea to bring such spectacular creations to fruition, as we found out when we visited the collection at the label's London atelier last month.

To start with, the almost insurmountable figures speak for themselves: the collection of 73 looks that we saw on the catwalk comprised just short of five million sequins in total; took 100 seamstresses a grand total of 22,000 hours to make, of which the final bridal gown took up 2,000 hours alone; and it was all done and dusted - from start to finish - in just three short months.

The process is just as fascinating as the figures would suggest, but far from the frantic hysteria that one might expect the above to insight, it is nothing but utter, meditative calm in the Chanel ateliers. There are four haute couture ateliers in total: two devoted to tailoring - comprising those of Madame Jacqueline and Madame Josette - and two specialising in the loose and soft fabrics known as the "flou" - those of Madame Martine and Madame Cecile. In the true bespoke spirit of haute couture, the label of the atelier where each item is made is sewn into the seams of each piece, to give the relevant studio its dues.

Lagerfeld begins the process with an annotated sketch, which he then hands to his studio directors, who distribute accordingly to the four ateliers. These are then handed to the seamstresses that range in age from young apprentices to mature women, known as "le petites mains" - translated as "the little hands" - who set to work bringing the illustration to life. One seamstress is responsible for one look, apart from the bridal gown which requires three.

But as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel established all those years ago, Chanel is not about one item, it is about the total look - and every element counts

As we learned at the New Bond Street atelier, it's not just surface work that counts with Chanel couture. On the inside of every item is detail that deserves to be seen - seamless satin lining, luxurious quilting on a coat's reverse, and layers of crystals and appliqué among them. It's not just what can be seen, we were told, but what the wearer knows lies beneath - a secret if you will.

But as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel established all those years ago, Chanel is not about one item, it is about the total look - and every element counts. Maison Michel, the early 20th century French milliner owned by Chanel is responsible for the millinery, which for this collection in particular was an important and collaborative effort - the extravagant wide-brimmed hats were made more "cloud-like" just before the show at Lagerfeld's request.

Utterly mesmerising in every way, watch the film below showing "le petites mains" at work - the tale of a Chanel couture collection from start to finish.