CHANEL IS EDGING closer to a bold new chapter under new creative director Matthieu Blazy, whose first collection is expected to be delivered for Spring 2026.
For now, following the departure in June 2024 of Karl Lagerfeld’s former wingwoman Virginie Viard — who had steered the brand following his death in 2019, to mixed reviews — an anonymous internal team called the Fashion Creation Studio has been keeping the collections ticking over.
With or without a creative captain, Chanel’s presentations remain larger than life. This year marks 20 years since Lagerfeld first started staging the brand’s shows under the soaring iron, steel and glass barrel-vaulted roof of the Grand Palais, the large exhibition hall and museum complex adjacent to the Champs Elysées that was originally constructed for the 1900 Universal Exhibition.
As the Grand Palais’ Grand Patron, with a new €30 million commitment to its restoration and cultural programming, Chanel gets exclusive dibs on the space as a show venue during fashion week. Lagerfeld leaned in to its grandeur with his infamous Brobdingnagian show sets, the spirit of which continue on to this day. The Fall 2025 set consisted of a gargantuan 368 x 20 metre long black steel ribbon that snaked around the venue, one end spiralling upwards towards the roof’s central dome. It was created by French Canadian creative director and designer Willo Perron, who is better known for his stage sets for music megastars such as Drake, Travis Scott, Rihanna and Beyoncé.
The ribbon, one of Chanel’s house codes, was the leitmotif of the collection. The show invitation consisted of a large black satin bow created by the Chanel-owned specialist atelier Maison Lemarié mounted on a white card, referencing the black satin ribbon Gabrielle Chanel used to to wear in her hair and to decorate her signature boater hats.
Seventy looks kicked off with an exploration of the theme of transparency, via a series of skirt, trouser and micro shorts suits that were covered with ghostly layers of sheer tulle ruffled overskirts, capes and overskirts.
A series of long, sinuous silhouettes (that looked tailor-made for the modest market) included a troika of top-to-toe tweed looks which featured classic Chanel cardigan jackets layered over matching skirts and trousers, with matching gloves and boaters. Showing much more leg were several supersized sweater dresses in chunky knits, one in pistachio green with a matching cardigan. Several black and white looks featured removable ruff collars or 3D petal plastrons around the neckline, lending an Elizabethan vibe.
But the ribbon theme dominated; black bows and ribbons featuring everywhere from exaggerated pussy-bow necklines over the top of black tweed jackets, tied on the puff sleeves and bodices of black organza blouses, in a ribbon print on a trio of black-and-white cocktail dresses; and appearing elsewhere throughout the collection in cut-out and trompe l’oeil details. The closing looks included a cream satin floor-length dress coat that was slashed into wide ribbons from the hip down.
Striking accessories included two new pairs of ankle boots, one in black patent with attached bow-trimmed lace socks, the other in matte leather with a billiard ball-sized pearl for a heel, stamped with the interlocking CC logo. There were also chic black-and-white platformed sneakers, micro matelassé bags and a spectacular minaudière in the shape of a giant pearl.
The Fashion Creation Studio has one last task ahead of them: putting the finishing touches to Chanel’s Resort 2026 collection, which is due to be presented on Italy’s Lake Como in April.
Come early October, it’s over to Blazy.
2025-03-13 05:59:00
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