PFW: CHANEL SS26

After months of waiting, speculation, whispers and uncertainty, the planets finally aligned in the starry sky of the Grand Palais. In a lunar setting worthy of those once imagined by Karl Lagerfeld, Matthieu Blazy unveiled his first collection for the House of Chanel. Or rather, for the universe of Chanel. A universe that lives, breathes and unfolds today in three acts, as shown by his SS26 collection: the past, that of Gabrielle Chanel, the present, and the future, hopefully with Matthieu Blazy for a while. Three moments that, although clearly and chronologically told by the House, constantly alternated last night, making us jump from one era to another without losing our balance, moving from the early days of the House and its codes according to Coco Chanel to today, with silhouettes revisited, reinvented, restored.

The House’s classics are deconstructed to be rebuilt, in silhouettes that are hard to place in time or space but seem suited to all. Despite the strong presence of bright colors, with a palette mostly composed of red, beige, and warm tones, black and white also find their place. They appear on silhouettes paying tribute to the minimalist bottles of Chanel perfumes, inspired by Gabrielle’s colorless childhood in the orphanage of the Cistercian Abbey of Aubazine. Art Deco also takes center stage in the collection, echoing not only its importance in the House’s creative imagination but also its hundredth anniversary, celebrated in Paris this year. On another note, many silhouettes, especially knits, are tinted in shades of beige reminiscent of nature — more precisely of straw, already present in the House’s FW25. An inspiration drawn, Blazy says, from sheaves of wheat, one of Gabrielle’s favorite good-luck charms.

After the first looks marked by a strong masculine energy, followed by numerous evening gowns, sometimes serious, sometimes more relaxed, the final silhouettes refuse to fit into a box and offer a blend of flavors. The androgynous trend returns and finds its balance in an attractive, renewed approach to evening wear, expressed through pieces that move from silk to tweed. Long skirts that could turn boring are made interesting by their opaque fabrics, covered silhouettes gain appeal through intriguing textures, while even serious suits become charming thanks to a layering of materials and styles, along with a styling that might not work — and yet does. Even the accessories received a makeover: the iconic quilted bag 2.55 has gone through the dryer, stripped of its usual chain, dyed not black but burgundy, the traditional color of its lining. The House’s famous two-tone ballerinas have also been reimagined in the codes and colors of the chocolate world, inspired by a praline. The jewelry, on the other hand, is more abstract, playing with the laws of tangibility using baroque pearls, glass planets, and enameled chains.

From her earrings to the tips of her ballerinas, through every little thread of tweed, the collection is an open love letter to the House — its heritage, its past, but also its future. With silhouettes sometimes directly drawn from Gabrielle Chanel’s wardrobe and those of her lovers, as well as innovative reinterpretations of some of her great classics, SS26 has laid the foundations for a new Chanel: a fun, colorful, universal Chanel that’s here to stay. A challenge few expected Chanel to take on again, after the era of Virginie Viard and the design studio team that succeeded her. Two periods during which the Maison on Rue Cambon relied heavily on its codes, ideals, and traditional rules. If Blazy chose to revisit and honor them, he did so by stepping away — not to abolish them, but to observe them from a new angle and better apply them. Last night, the Chanel universe experienced a spatial quake that, instead of threatening the planetary system, set it perfectly back in place.

CHANEL SS26

CHANEL SS26

CHANEL SS26

CHANEL SS26

CHANEL SS26

MATTHIEU BIAZY for CHANEL