1 of 5. German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne appear at the end of his Fall/Winter 2014-2015 women's ready-to-wear collection show for French fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais transformed into a 'Chanel Shopping Center' during Paris Fashion Week March 4, 2014. 
 
 PARIS (Reuters) - Most designers try to make consumers dream at their fashion shows, but Karl Lagerfeld sought to bring them back into real life by presenting his latest collection in a spoof Chanel supermarket. 
 
 Paris' prestigious Grand Palais, where the French brand traditionally hosts its glamorous shows, was filled with endless rows of Chanel-branded pasta, cheeses, sauces, detergents and other products of daily life created solely for the occasion. 
 
 "For me the supermarket is the pop art of today," Lagerfeld said on Tuesday after the show, admitting he rarely went to supermarkets himself. 
 
 Pushing brightly colored trolleys and pretending to exchange gossip, models picked up products with tongue-in-cheek labels such as Coco beer bottles, Chateau Gabrielle white wine and Chanel crémeuh - or creamoo - milk. 
 
 Others carried metallic baskets adorned with Chanel's iconic handbag chains. 
 
 The designer's new autumn/winter collection was full of oversized tweed jackets worn over shiny pencil-thin pants complete with flashy sneakers, also spotted at January's haute couture show. 
 
 Some models wore comfortable-looking orange woolen jogging suits and fluorescent pink shredded leggings. 
 
 Speakers spat out loud pop music, interrupted by public announcements such as "the young Marine is waiting for her parents at the cashiers" or "Mrs Martin is requested at the fresh foods department". 
 
 Lagerfeld said Chanel had created more than 500 different labels and put more than 100,000 items on display, some of which would be later given to charity. 
 
 No cost or detail was spared to create the atmosphere of a typical French supermarket such as Carrefour. 
 
 Hanging over the white aisles, some giant yellow signs offered 20 percent discounts while others said: "the DIY department is open on Sundays," pointing to recent controversy in France over allowing DIY shops to trade on Sundays. 
 
 Once the show was over, many members of the audience furiously seized Chanel food products from the shelves. 
 
 "The supermarket concept was brilliant as it put fashion into real life," French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, previously the face of Chanel's Coco perfume and lipstick, told Reuters after the show. 
 
 Lagerfeld, who turned 80 last year and has spent three decades at Chanel's helm, is credited with having regularly infused fresh life into the brand to keep it modern and in tune with its times while remaining faithful to its heritage. 
 
 "It is not because you buy Chanel clothes that you should not be allowed into the supermarket," Lagerfeld said after exchanging hugs and kisses with his A-lists guests such as singer Rihanna and actress Keira Knightley. 
 
 (Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt; Editing by Catherine Evans) ||||| Outrageous designs, from linebacker shoulders to mile-high boots—have long been the hallmarks of high-end fashion shows. But featured on runways this week is something new: plenty of wearable clothes, albeit with a designer flair. 
 
 Marc Jacobs Matches Up View Slideshow Kurt Wilberding/The Wall Street Journal Marc Jacobs's Fall 2010 collection featured finely constructed, entirely wearable and not-weirdly styled clothes. 
 
 Derek Lam and Vera Wang on Tuesday showed plenty of neat skirts and office-worthy jackets. Several of Ms. Wang's wool jackets and a pair of loose-legged pants stood out for their clean-lined, architectural look. Mr. Lam said he mixed leather and suede with "honest" fabrics like different types of cotton and merino wool, which are more likely to be affordable to consumers. 
 
 Even Marc Jacobs, a master of theatrics, ditched his usual dramatic spectacle on Monday evening. He offered, simply, an elegant collection of dresses, suits and separates—in shoes that could be worn by real people, no less. 
 
 The wearability theme is all good news for retailers. Buyers have been watching for clothes they can actually sell as New York fashion week sprints towards its finish on Thursday with a series of big-name shows. Steve Sadove, chief executive of Saks Fifth Avenue, said that New York fashion week has been looking "good" for the luxury chain, though he qualified the remark with "I hope." Sales in the industry have been down for 18 months, and splashy looks aren't working like they used to. Designers want to sell clothes. 
 
 At design house Chado Ralph Rucci, no detail is too fine when it comes to dressmaking. WSJ's Elva Ramirez follows an ivory georgette and guinea hen feather dress fro sketch to runway. 
 
 Wednesday's Shows Some of the designers presenting their collections: Tory Burch 
 
 Nanette Lepore 
 
 Oscar de la Renta 
 
 Phillip Lim 
 
 Michael Kors 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Kurt Wilberding/The Wall Street Journal Rodarte showed mixed textures Tuesday, above, while sequins were a staple at Badgley Mischka's show, below. 
 
 Agence France-Presse/Getty Images 
 
 "Clothes that you can really do big business with are on the runway," says Nicole Fischelis, Macy's fashion director, citing flirty skirts, soft, feminine blouses and easy-to-wear clothes "you can play with." 
 
 Still, within the fashion industry, "wearable" is not necessarily a compliment. It suggests plain-looking clothes that are insufficiently "editorial"—that is, not exciting enough to be rate a spread in a fashion magazine. 
 
 No one is more aware of this than Vera Wang, who was an editor at Vogue magazine before launching her designing career. In addition to the wedding gowns that made her famous, Ms. Wang also has a more avant-garde line of clothes, called Vera Wang, which she shows at New York fashion week. 
 
 Ms. Wang, like other designers, has struggled with a tough economy this year. "It's a scary transition moment," she says. When asked how this is reflected in her fall 2010 collection, Ms. Wang alluded to the fashion industry's mindset. "Well, my clothes are incredibly wearable," she said backstage before her show Tuesday. "It's loaded. Sometimes it means you're not editorial enough." Then she turned to embrace Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who had stepped backstage to say hello. 
 
 More Accessible Looks Getty Images Derek Lam Associated Press Marc by Marc Jacobs Getty Images Marc Jacobs 
 
 Even Rodarte offered relatively wearable clothes—for a label that in the past has sent sculptural items that weren't identifiable as clothes down the runway. There were loads of sweet pink dresses in floral prints. The dresses weren't simple, with mixtures of patterns and textures sewn together, and it would require a certain bohemian personality to wear them. 
 
 This season, Rodarte hit on a number of emerging fall 2010 trends—including embellished leggings and a heavily layered look (three pairs of socks of various lengths on each foot, pants under a skirt, or several shirts and sweaters). It was an entirely artistic collection, with combinations the Mad Hatter would love. What's more, there were "editorial" elements: Next fall, look for the yarn-fringed shaggy-rug type sweaters in your favorite high-end fashion magazine. 
 
 In catering to price-conscious consumers, Badgley Mischka went a step further and divided its show into two sections, the first devoted to red-carpet-worthy gowns and the rest focused on a lower-priced line called Mark & James (the designers' first names) that's targeted to the young and trendy. 
 
 Another lower-priced line, Marc by Marc from Marc Jacobs, continued a trend seen this week of using heavier woolens. For both men's and women's clothes, the look was often military. One men's suit, in heavy gray wool, was cut with cargo pants that had huge pockets on the leg. 
 
 The presence of Elie Tahari in the Bryant Park tents speaks to the practical mindset in the industry. For years, this relatively accessible designer held intimate presentations. For his runway show, he turned up the volume with looks like a knee-length braided fox vest. 
 
 As Ms. Wang's show played out, it wasn't clear that every woman would find her clothes so wearable. The tailored looks will fit many bodies, but many of the jodhpur-style pants will work only on long-legged, thin women. Still, dark colors and dramatic embellishments like Mongolian lamb would make her clothes a good choice for events. Indeed, Ms. Wang's collection maintained the art-gallery look she likes to wear herself. "I try on every jacket," she said. 
 
 —Rachel Dodes and Ray A. Smith contributed to this article. 
 
 Write to Christina Binkley at christina.binkley@wsj.com
– Chanel's show at Paris Fashion Week yesterday had a somewhat pedestrian theme: The Grand Palais, where the show was held, was turned into a Chanel supermarket. There were rows of food and household items, all with Chanel-branded names like Coco beer and Tweed cola, and models pushed shopping carts or carried baskets through the aisles while music and fake announcements played ("the young Marine is waiting for her parents at the cashiers," for example); signs advertised "sales"—like "1 for the price of 2" and "50% markup." Altogether, more than 100,000 items were displayed with more than 500 different labels; some will be donated to charity, Reuters reports, but others were grabbed by audience members after the show ... and things got so crazy that security guards had to intervene, with the AP noting fashionistas' bags were actually searched upon exit, with stolen goods removed, though one apparently made off with a Chanel doormat. "For me the supermarket is the pop art of today," said designer Karl Lagerfeld ... though of course he also said he himself rarely actually visits supermarkets. Chanel last made headlines for featuring models in sneakers.