Karl Lagerfeld sent a volcanic chill of autumn swirling through the Grand Palais on Tuesday as he presented a tomboyish Chanel fall-winter collection.

In a deliberate contrast from the Parisian garden theme that framed the spring-summer show, Lagerfeld sent darker, looser looks down a wooden boardwalk the length of a venue carpeted with volcanic dust that crunched underfoot.

The soundtrack – “A Forest” by The Cure, about a man who goes looking for a woman in, well, a forest – set the tone, even if there wasn’t a tree in sight.

Blake Lively was hired to be the spokesmodel for Chanel Handbags print campaign and now the first image has appeared online.

The ad, shot by Karl Lagerfeld, has the Gossip Girl against a set of mirrors staring at the viewer from her reflection and carrying the new Mademoiselle bag.

In contrast to singer Lily Allen’s playful Breakfast at Tiffany’s–inspired ads, Lively’s campaign feels edgier and more sophisticated, with a moody, Hitchcockian tone.

The Chanel J12 Chromatic is made of a new proprietary ceramic titanium material that is of course highly scratch resistant with a hardness close to that of sapphire.

The J12 Chromatic features a spectrum of models — 38mm and 41mm case sizes each with an automatic mechanical movement, and a more petite 33mm case size with a quartz movement.

Water resistant to 200 meters. There are also diamond and diamond baguette encrusted models (set in an 18k white gold bezel).

First look at the Chanel Spring/Summer 2011 ad campaign featuring models Freja Beha Erichsen and Baptiste Giabiconi, shot by Karl Lagerfeld.

Luxury-brand awareness is growing among China’s super rich, who recognize 20% more of the lavish brands than they did last year, according to the Hurun Report.

The 2011 Best of The Best Survey, which interviewed 401 Chinese mainland millionaires, each with assets of more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), said the super rich in China are developing more sophisticated tastes in luxury products.

“Chinese entrepreneurs are getting more and more sophisticated, discerning and confident in their personal style, and what they aspire to, as they try to turn new money into old money,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, founder of the Hurun Report.

Magdalena Frackowiak, Baptiste Giabiconi & Barbora Dvorakova directed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel short movie – Window World.