The Chanel Pre-Fall 2010 Shanghai show released at the beginning of this month a short film called ‘Paris-Shanghai: Metiers d’Art.’ The film features a fantasy day-dreaming trip Coco Chanel would have made to Shanghai in the 60′s.

Controversy raised as instead of hiring Chinese models – or even Asians, Karl Lagerfeld chose European model’s faces painted as “Yellow Faces” to look Chinese – the racial make-up seems to be the latest trend in the fashion industry as recently seen with black painted models in French Vogue, V Magazine and America’s next Top Model.

According to Lagerfeld “It is an homage to Europeans trying to look Chinese… It is about the idea of China, not the reality…It has the spirit of, and is inspired by, but is unrelated to China. It is not authentic like a Peking Opera or something.”

No matter how many times I read that quote, I still don’t get the homage part. Isn’t a Chinese person the idea of China?

I wonder what is the Chinese reaction…Could Chinese people genuinely connect with Chanel beyond the labeled pretty clothes ?

Feel free to comment ..