The fashion world is a buzz for Karl Lagerfeld’s oppulent Maharajah musings in his latest collection for Chanel, Pre-Fall 2012. A grand opus to all the glamour and societal decadence you could imagine to spill from Monsieur Lagerfeld’s vivid fashion fantasies he has delivered for the last four decades.

His nod to the heyday of the royal courts of India and the evening moods of the British Raj are a spectacle [not to mention the venue itself- a feast for the eyes, done up in true Maharajah decadence], with his models donning Goan dreadlocks, and sporting nose and ear piercings of the Devadasi- he brings all the formal elegance of the court, plus a bit of rock and roll nasty to the entirety.

Mr. Chanel must have had the pleasure of viewing Ernest & Young’s “Maharajah” exhibition, which we had the pleasure of viewing last year at the AGO. Lagerfeld quotes his collection “a concept of India. More Chanel than India. The Parisian version of an India that doesn’t exist”, and we’re definitely taking the voyage.

What’s wonderful is the mix of pattern, texture, and playing with ornamentation are what really take the cake, and that’s what really makes it real rich France . . . for which Monsieur Lagerfeld is by now, a Crowned Jewel. Didn’t know he was such a Bad-Ass, or at least, his girls reflect that.

Moreover, the collection included several takes of menswear that are equally sublime in both craftsmanship, and ornamentation. We love the classic strokes, precise details and accessories, and utopian Eurasian decadence come to life, not to mention the same Bad-Ass appeal as forementioned. Lagerfeld succeeds in creating further modern mythologies of man.

Guessing it ultimately depends on your own personal Bad-ass-ness in the end of things.

Start getting ready for the forthcoming of gems, rhinestones, pearls, and paisley. Any proper Dandy knows all it takes is getting dressed in the morning. We’re seeing it tomorrow, so why not start your outfit today. Call it culture clash; more than East meets West. The Jewel in the Crown. God Save the Queen. A little Tikka Masala while we’re at it.

“All the people like us are we, and everyone else is They.”

Being shy is no mood for a king- nay, a Maharajah. Mixing textiles, patterns, and exotic jewelry with a British academia aesthetic is a surefire way to kickstart the look into the new year. Doesn’t have to be campy, at all, and treading the line between the exotic and the everyday always leads one to a higher ground. The look is spiritual and sublime, decadence and oppulence supremo.

India has been on our mind since French model extraordinaire Patrick Petijean took on the role with Nathaniel Goldberg back in 2008, fusing the wild jungles of India’s core with a fine aristocratic edge simply only for the wild at heart.

Trends come and go, but strokes of inspiration are interventions from the divine. So here goes some images to help make you walk the walk. All taken from the past, sharing with us for a newer tomorrow.

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[CAUTION: In no way do we support Imperialism, the by-product of Colonialism. Imperialism was born out of the ignorance and disregard to the beautiful ethnic and cultural diversities existent in our world. Many lives have been trampled and destroyed by the armies of Imperialism- India is no exception. The world is not meant to be owned, operateted, and managed. The heydey of Imperialism is long over, but the results and consequences are still being seen today. We must learn from the past, as so greedy power-hungry leaders cannot do the same wrongs today. The war for resources is on, and we cannot make the same mistakes again.]

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