Fashion weeks are often like a game of musical chairs everyone wants to claim their place, but only a few emerge victorious. For Chanel, Matthieu Blazy staked everything on one bold move, propelling the house into an entirely new galaxy of aesthetics. His latest collection is a multidimensional reinterpretation of the brand’s classic codes, set against a backdrop that feels like a cosmic dream a herald of a new era where Chanel redefines the boundaries of freedom.
On a Monday evening, Paris became the epicenter of this cosmic metaphor. After months of intensive preparation, Blazy presented his collection in the renovated Grand Palais, delivering a show that was both a spectacle and an intimate experience. This was the inauguration of his vision for the house not merely a creative revival of tradition but a new philosophy for Chanel. The atmosphere was magical: a planetarium filled with giant, shimmering spheres reflecting light like cosmic mirrors, creating a scene as breathtaking as Karl Lagerfeld’s most iconic productions.
The show began precisely at 8:14 p.m. a symbolic “moon landing” in Chanel’s history. Blazy, the house’s fourth creative director, embraced a fusion of tradition and daring experimentation. His announcement of the collection, through black and white photographs by David Bailey, suggested minimalism and austerity yet the reality was richer, full of contrasts and surprises.
The opening look was a checkered wool suit trousers paired with a cropped jacket. A tribute to Coco Chanel and her personal inspirations, including garments borrowed from Arthur “Boy” Capel. Blazy mined the archives but reframed tradition in unexpected ways. The collection featured expansive white tuxedo shirts paired with wide skirts, and striped menswear shirts worn with scarlet ball gowns adorned with delicate feather details.
Blazy explains his fascination with the revolution Coco Chanel introduced to fashion. “It’s not just about clothing it’s about the freedom of choice, about being both sides of the same coin,” he said. His collection embodies this philosophy: balancing androgynous minimalism with seductive eveningwear. Silk separates, flowing dresses in shades of beige, ivory, and black evoke the spirit of Art Deco while celebrating a centennial of this aesthetic in the heart of Paris.
Blazy’s inspirations are deeply personal. Minimalist lines throughout the collection echo Chanel’s pared-back perfume bottles a homage to Coco’s childhood at the Aubazine abbey. Rich, textured knits, skirts reminiscent of sheaf like straw, and tops that resemble fragments of paper dominate the fabrics. Symbolic touches, such as wheat sheaf motifs one of Coco’s talismans appear embroidered across garments, from black dresses to oatmeal-hued tweed coats.
Blazy embraced risk. The iconic quilted 2.55 bag underwent a creative transformation stripped of its chain, in a burgundy hue with unusual embroidery becoming a new narrative. “I wanted the bag to look as if it had been passed down through generations, and yet worn in modern spaces: from the Lower East Side to Pigalle,” Blazy explained. This idea became a recurring theme the reinterpretation of tradition as a personal and individual statement.
Chanel’s footwear was another statement: supple new versions inspired by chocolate pralines transformed iconic models into sensorial designs. The tweed suit frayed, relaxed, textured embodied Blazy’s philosophy: clothing should be beautiful, wearable, personal, and full of history.
The finale was marked by model Awar Odhiang closing the show in a flowing, multicolored skirt paired with an ivory silk blouse, her movement a graceful dance. The audience rose to their feet in applause. It was a declaration of Chanel’s new chapter one where tradition meets boldness, and the house ascends into a new orbit of fashion.
Photos courtesy of CHANEL
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