CHANEL is always a moment. Matthieu Blazy, who took over as Creative Director last year, debuted his sophomore ready-to-wear collection at the Grand Palais, which was transformed into a construction site with colourful cranes looming overhead. In Paris, the buzz around the brand was at an all-time high as the first pieces from his October debut collection started to appear in stores. It’s safe to say Blazy is hot right now, and Paris is watching him rebuild the brand with his enchanting touch in real time. 

While the clothes should be the first topic of discussion, the show’s front row quickly went viral. Lily-Rose Depp arrived in a cat-earred fascinator (loved!); Margot Robbie debuted her bob; Olivia Dean told Vogue it was her favourite show she’s ever seen; and Jennie reimagined the Chanel set. And the best part? They all bopped along to ‘Just Dance’ by Lady Gaga as models took their final walk.

At the core of the collection is this analogy of transformation—the story of the caterpillar morphing into a butterfly. “Fashion is both caterpillar and butterfly. Be a caterpillar by day and a butterfly by night,” said Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. The show moved between these two stages, sustaining an ongoing dialogue with the brand’s founder and bounced through time. It was unveiled as a vision of duality and self-expression. “I wish to create a canvas for women to be unapologetically who they are and who they want to be,” Blazy wrote in the show notes. 

Waistlines were exaggeratedly dropped, with belts landing well below the hips on skirts and dresses. Layering is prominent—jackets are almost always worn open—allowing multiple pieces to peek through. Meanwhile, signature tweed silhouettes adopt a quirky, oversized slouch with buttoned blouses left untucked underneath. 

Accessories ranged from fun micro-mini sunnies to gaudy resin jewelry and crescent-shaped bags. In other looks, the models’ own hair colour was painted in muted pastels to match their iridescent looks.

 

Images Courtesy of CHANEL.