The feminist statement behind Chanel Haute Couture's new collection

There was plenty to look at Chanel’s Spring 2018 Haute Couture show in Paris this week — even once you got past Kaia Gerber’s buzzed-about appearance and the stunning garden party setting, complete with rose trellises and an oversized fountain.

The looks that came down the runway were resplendent with dramatic feathers, luxe sheer tulle, and glamorous heavy beading that are sure to turn up on red carpets sometime soon.

But all of those things are par for the course at a designer couture presentation in the City of Lights, where nothing is understated and everything makes a fashionable statement.That’s why the biggest statement of all wasn’t glittering embellishments or fancy fabrics, but the pockets that adorned nearly every ensemble. 

Pocket full of fashion! Chanel's Spring 2018 Haute Couture collection was shown in Paris on Tuesday

Pocket full of fashion! Chanel’s Spring 2018 Haute Couture collection was shown in Paris on Tuesday

Setting the trends: More than half of the models walked down the runway with hands inside pockets

They were included in sort and long dresses

Setting the trends: More than half of the models walked down the runway with hands inside pockets

Classic: Naturally, pockets adorned the many iterations of the classic Chanel suit — as they always have

A model pictured at the couture show

A model pictured at the couture show

Classic: Naturally, pockets adorned the many iterations of the classic Chanel suit — as they always have

Glitz and glam! But they were also on glitzier, more formal numbers, which don't usually have pockets

Glitz and glam!But they were also on glitzier, more formal numbers, which don’t usually have pockets

Frockin' those pockets! Plenty of eveningwear shown at the show had pockets stitched in

A model pictured at the couture show

Frockin’ those pockets! Plenty of eveningwear shown at the show had pockets stitched in 

Showing them off: The models made sure the pockets were noticeable by walking with their hands partially tucked inside

A model pictured at the couture show

Showing them off: The models made sure the pockets were noticeable by walking with their hands partially tucked inside

Everywhere: Even this satin and feathered number had places to put keys and cash

Everywhere: Even this satin and feathered number had places to put keys and cash

Suits, jumpsuits, coats, and Túi xách đi làm — most notably — dresses and gowns all featured a pair of pockets on the front.

Designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the collection included 68 separate looks, and models walked with hands resting inside pockets in at least half of them.

Even several of the ensembles end of the show, which is typically reserved for the more glamorous eveningwear looks, had pockets.

Model Julia Pelc kept her hands in place in the pockets of a floral lace number, Femke Huijzer tucked hers into the pockets of a sequined tea-length dress, and Kiki Willems’s gloved hands hid away in pockets of her uber-beaded floor-length number.

Meanwhile, dresses at haute couture shows for Elie Saab, Givenchy, and Giambattista Valli didn’t have pockets, and it’s unusual to see them in women’s ready-to-wear collections too. 

Something special: The pocked-packed collection was quite unique for a fashion show, particular a haute couture one

Something special: túi xách nữ thời trang The pocked-packed collection was quite unique for a fashion show, particular a haute couture one

Ladylike: Often, pockets in high fashion are only found in pants

A model pictured at the couture show

Ladylike: Often, pockets in high fashion are only found in pants

Genius: However, designer Karl Lagerfeld put them into nearly every design

Genius: However, designer Karl Lagerfeld put them into nearly every design

Bummer: Historically, pockets haven't been a big part of women's fashion for centuries

A model pictured at the couture show

Bummer: Historically, pockets haven’t been a big part of women’s fashion for centuries

So not cool! Women had pockets in their petticoats for a short time in the 1700s but they soon went out of fashion

So not cool!