Karl Lagerfeld opted to present a less extravagant and grad-scale presentation for his Chanel Pre-Fall 2011 collection. Instead, he presented the new collection at the brand's iconic Rue Cambon store.

The collection was inspired by Empress Theodora and the lost culture of Byzantium. Karl Lagerfeld said that Theodora was a circus artist who became empress, like Chanel, who was a little singer and became a fashion empress. In other words, the collection mostly came from Coco's Byzantine-inspired Gripoix jewelry.

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