At the Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024 presentation, the immediate focal point wasn’t just Virginie Viard‘s newest creations or Margaret Qualley’s runway debut—it was the colossal double-C button suspended above the circular runway.
This iconic button, a long-standing motif for the French luxury house, serves not only as a functional element allowing freedom of movement but also as a recurrent decorative embellishment, as revealed in the show notes. Viard skillfully plays with these illusions, incorporating sheer tulle trousers over opaque white tights for faux coverage and adding translucent black panels beneath mini skirts to evoke shadowy effects.
Brand ambassador Margaret Qualley, a former ballerina, opened the show, infusing the coquette aesthetic with a touch of authenticity. The opening looks, reminiscent of dancers’ costumes, perfectly align with Viard’s inspiration drawn from Chanel’s rich performance history. The set, crafted by Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free, and Mike Carson, along with the accompanying film “The Button,” seamlessly reinforces the symbols of Haute Couture.
In Viard’s own words, “I have tried to bring together the power and finesse of bodies and clothes in a very ethereal collection.” This ethereal theme extends to a transparent landscape of short straight skirts, long dresses, jumpsuits, and capes adorned with exquisite embroideries and embellishments.
The result is a collection that beautifully weaves together the heritage of CHANEL, the elegance of dance, and Viard’s artistic vision, creating a mesmerizing tableau of fashion and emotion. “For me, dance evokes all these stories and emotions that are close to my heart, and that I take such pleasure in handing down and recounting,” concludes Viard.
See the collection highlights from the CHANEL Haute Couture Spring 2024 show below.