The Waist-Whittling Illusion Dress: Rihanna and Keira Knightley Love Chanel's New Silhouette
Forget corsets, girdles, and Spanx. It is all about Chanel's optical illusion dress.
Mega stars Rihanna and Keira Knightley hit the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday and shocked onlookers when they posed in the atelier's latest creation: an optical illusion dress that gives the appearance of a waif-like waistline.
The dress, which is from designer Karl Lagerfeld's Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Ready to Wear collection, features a wide skirt and structured, loose-fitting crop top offset by a figure-hugging panel in the bodice.
Rihanna, 26, who is currently the face of the famed fashion house, chose a sporty version of the frock and looked lovely in a lavender design. She teamed her ensemble with a matching fanny pack and tennis shoes, an oversized pearl bracelet, and a soft pink lipstick.
The "Pride & Prejudice" actress, 28, has always maintained a slender figure, but she looked exceptionally tiny in the dress because it elongated her already tall physique. She opted for a black and white creation, which featured classic bow tie detailing, and increased the slimming effect of the frock. Naturally, the contrasting color combo enhanced the visual trick as well. She polished off her look with a classic Chanel purse and gold pumps.
While both ladies look lovely, critics are calling Knightley, who is the face of Coco Mademoiselle fragrance, "shockingly tiny" and "scary skinny."
Something is definitely wrong with Keira Knightley's waist. pic.twitter.com/D2l3DYDPli
— Robert Kessler (@robertkessler) March 5, 2014
It's plain ugly "@Telegraph: Keira Knightley causes outrage in wasp-waisted #Chanel number http://t.co/js2iLsY7xw pic.twitter.com/P3HLGUN7y6"
— Katiemjy (@katiemjy) March 5, 2014
Her silhouette certainly looks slimmer than Rihanna's, but perhaps that has to do with accessories.
The "Diamonds" singer's fanny pack and large accessories add another dimension to the ensemble, which make her look more natural in comparison to Knightley's stark attire.
This isn't the first time we've seen an optical illusion design take center stage, though. In 2011, Stella McCartney's color block dress, which tricked the eye into looking at an hourglass figure, nabbed the praise of Kate Winslet, Liv Tyler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, and Brooklyn Decker. Dozens of Hollywood's elite hit the red carpet in variations of the design and raved about its ability to transform their figures into that of a pinup girl.
Regardless of whether the Lagerfeld design is your cup of tea, this new trend is likely here to stay. It is essentially a more dramatic update on the crop top craze that swept through Hollywood this past season and also drew attention to the tiny waists of many A-list women.
Let's face it: Chanel has just created a piece of apparel that might put digital photo retouchers out of business.