Great Chanel Dresses for the Summer

Spring and Summer Collection 2011

Above all else, the goal for spring and summer of 2011 for Chanel is lightness. There is an airy quality to the collection that is both simple and sexy. Transparent layers sheath the body in tantalizing mystery. Feathers are featured on many items to add to the feeling of lightness. The dresses could almost help you transform into a bird to fly away on a gorgeous and sunny summer day.

For instance, the Sky blue Lesage embroidered tweed dress with Lemarie feather trim is feathered around and below the bust, adding a summery look while still emphasizing femininity.

Elegance and seasonal color come together in the Tweed Bicolor dress with black organza ribbons. The lower section brings fun and brightness to an otherwise serious look.

The Lemarie Feather-Embroidered Tweed Dress is reminiscent of the playful mod fabrics of the 1960s, while combining the look with the casual order of a crosshatched top. In the debut show for the collection, the model sporting this particular dress was adorned with chain mail gloves. A playful addition that adds a little brute strength to an otherwise fluffy exterior.

The Linen and Cotton Lace Dress with feather collar and trim seems to almost be completely transparent, but the overlapping patterns help to barely conceal what is really underneath. Like so many other dresses in the collection, the neckline is just as playful as the pattern.

The Ecru Worked Gazar Bustier Dress with Lemarie feather embroidering is sure to bring out the inner flower child in every woman. Colorful flowers emphasize the bust and continue in waves down the entire dress. The feathers that were the favorite of the season are underneath the bust to add emphasis as well. The color and cut are forcefully innocent, but the transparency is very mature. A similar dress can also be found in black instead of pink.

For something completely different, check out the Peony-printed Embroidered Smock Dress. The asymmetry is striking and different from the other dresses. The large print is also more dynamic than the sweetness of the smaller flower print dresses. There are no feathers here, but plenty of shifting, luxurious layers.

The Printed Silk Sleeveless Dress is similar in its bold, large patterns, but with a chic double collar around the neck. Everything about this dress shows that the designer understands the woman who wants to be elegant and yet also practically cool on a hot day.

The Printed Silk Shirt Dress with smocked waist is especially flirty with its transparency. The dress has only gauzy layers of fabric over the chest, while revealing nothing.

Beyond Dresses

An exciting centerpiece of the Spring/Summer 2011 show was an array of playful mini-shorts. These tiny shorts are risqué and it's bad-boy ideas like these that make Karl Lagerfeld’s work for Chanel so memorable and unique.