KARL LAGERFELD always includes something of the current moment at CHANEL. It's usually interwoven with the legacy of the company, melded with the now-classic codes of tweed, suiting, and a tradition of craftsmanship that reaches back to 1910, when the house was founded by GABRIELLE CHANEL. For the pre-fall 2018 MÉTIERS D'ART show, Lagerfeld's inspiration came from a romantic view of his hometown of HAMBURG and the notion of ports of call, seafaring, and trade. But it was shipping containers that made the most pointed statement for fashion in 2017. Lagerfeld cited intermodal freight containers as part of the collection's inspiration. The large, standardized steel boxes are more relevant than ever given current interest in commoditization and the global routes of goods that bring seasonless food, fashion, and well—almost everything—to one's door. Shipping moves the world. At Chanel, Lagerfeld said it was the geometry of the containers that fascinated, and the stacked lines and colors of freight cargo did seem to appear in woven textiles and knits. Signature handbags were made into mini shipping containers, swinging off models' grasps adorned with double-C's. The shipping container as readymade luxury object speaks volumes about our ultra-commodified, global world of commerce. That is fashion at its best—when design worn on the body tells the story of past and present with a driving momentum toward the future—toward change. Lagerfeld described Hamburg as a "gateway to the world... but you have to go through it." He's at the top of his game, and it's hard to imagine a contemporary Chanel without Karl. There's a wonderful profile on the designer, "The Last Emperor," from the NEW YORKER's 1994 fashion issue. The man has exhibited a voracious intake of arts and culture for decades. Oh, and if you haven't seen it already, the five-part series SIGNE CHANEL is a wonderful look at the making of an haute couture collection, done the Chanel way... In brief: HBO's new documentary "Agnelli" tells the story of the late GIANNI AGNELLI: head of FIAT, man about town, renowned business leader, and arbiter of style. It airs Dec. 18... PANTONE picks purple... BOLT THREADS released a limited run of knit hats in a synthetic spider silk and wool blend... Getting teens to rate your 'fit.