Whimsy is in! After Matthieu Blazy found a small book titled Les Fées, Contes des Contes [Fairies, Tales of Tales] in Gabrielle Chanel‘s library, he decided that, with the help of the Haute Couture ateliers, they would create garments that unfolded like the stories in the book. This whimsical quest meant embracing both fantasy and reality—including the textured stories of the women who wear CHANEL. The clothing playfully revealed the fairytales we all grew up loving.

From tales like Jack and the Beanstalk to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the crux of fairy-tale thinking, seeing, and making is referenced. The show opens with a defined Chanel suit that mirrors the idea of magic beans, with transparencies of light silk mousseline. In the model’s hands, you’ll find the very book of fairy tales that once belonged to Gabrielle, while the echoes of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack had celebrities like Alexa Demie and Pedro Pascal entranced.

In between, there were glimpses of vines creeping up heels or spilling with 3D florals, or a series of buttons transformed from a duckling to a swan. While a seed of fantasy was planted as inspiration, it sprouted into a show space at the Grand Palais decorated with overgrown, life-sized faux-posed leaves and florals that models mazed through.

While the show’s opening was juxtaposed with the closing look—a simple black dress—it reminds us of Blazy’s intention. For his sophomore collection, Blazy clarifies that Haute Couture at Chanel is not just a fairytale. “In essence, it is for women, their realities and their everyday adventures.” So what’s better than a little black dress to tie it all together and push the wearability of couture?

Images courtesy of CHANEL.