Chanel Couture, For the Gym-Addicted Space Empress in You

For this season’s Chanel haute couture collection, Karl Lagerfeld drew his inspiration from the unlikeliest of sources. How unlikely are we talking? Well, um, every model on the runway was wearing formal sneakers. Some were wearing couture knee pads.

According to the AP, Lagerfeld said that his intention was to “bring couture back to reality” — a playful, paradoxical statement, since couture never really had a place in reality to begin with. From that paradox we get beautiful, ethereal gowns with an athletic cut, glittery sneakers laced with chiffon, and the traditional Chanel tweed jacket made to resemble a t-shirt.

Most reviews of the show noted that the models bounced, skipped and danced down the runway. “They models run downstairs… like modern Cinderella,” said Lagerfeld after the show. “We didn’t need the stiletto in glass.”