The making of a Chanel Haute Couture dress in pictures

Go behind the scenes and see how the 'petites mains' in Chanel's Paris
atelier transform creative director Karl Lagerfeld's designs into one-off
couture creations.

A drawing and the silk, pleated fabric for look number 45 from the Chanel autumn/winter
2011 haute couture collection.
The silk fabric is folded, draped and pinned to a tailor's dummy.
The 'petites mains' delicately fold and twist the fabric for the skirt part of the dress to
achieve the right effect.
Details such as these silver buttons and white plumes are added to the design last.
A model is helped into the dress prior to the catwalk show.
The completed creation on show on the catwalk, which was staged at the vast Grand
Palais in central Paris.

A toile and a pattern for a tweed jacket from the same collection.
The pattern is carefully applied to the dummy.
Every single measurement needs to be 100 per cent accurate.
The tweed fabric, infused with glittering beadwork, is laid out and cut with military
precision.
The lining and hems are undertaken by the seamstresses in the atelier.
Nearing completion, the piece sits on the mannequin.
The designs start to take shape in the busy atelier.
A model tries on the tweed skirt-suit for size, while a seamstress checks for any
outstanding tweaks.
Finally, the tweed ensemble is ready for the catwalk.