The Spring Summer couture season reached a turning point this afternoon in Paris as Chanel unveiled Matthieu Blazy’s first Haute Couture collection, marking the second major designer debut this week week following Jonathan Anderson’s highly lauded Dior Couture show. With the industry’s attention already heightened after the sweet little animated teaser shared over the weekend, Blazy’s first Haute Couture show felt like a sigh of fantastical relief. It didn’t rely on spectacle, but oh what a sight it was to see the Grand Palais transformed into an enchanted forest with pink branches cascading and giant towering mushrooms dotted down the dreamlike runway.
The set acted as a deliberate frame for the clothes rather than a distraction, mirroring Blazy’s approach to couture. “Haute Couture is the very soul of Chanel,” Blazy noted, and his debut focused on distilling that essence rather than reinventing it. The opening Chanel looks, saw suits reimagined in sheer silk mousseline; light, layered, and emotionally charged. Throughout the collection, intimate symbols surfaced like quiet secrets, an interior life turned outward. Love letters in hand, a bottle of Chanel N°5, and flashes of red lipstick were stitched into linings, tucked into pockets, or suspended from signature chains.
As the show progressed, a subtle metamorphosis took place. The women of Chanel transformed into birds, through movement, texture, and craftsmanship. Feathers and fluffy detailing balanced elegant pleating, and weaving by the ateliers and artisans of le19M. From raven black tailoring to richly layered plumage, each look celebrated the individuality, freedom, and lightness for which Chanel is known.
The symbolism was quiet but potent. Birds appeared simply as emblems of movement and self expression, grounded by Chanel’s enduring codes, free to drift into something new. As the final looks emerged, the soundtrack swelled into a mash up of Bittersweet Symphony and Wonderwall, setting an unmistakably nostalgic tone. In the front row, Margaret Qualley and Dua Lipa visibly bopped along and mouthing the words, an unscripted moment that perfectly captured the collection’s emotional draw.
Blazy’s first couture collection didn’t ask for attention, it commanded it with equal part lightness and whimsy.
Discover the show and collection looks below.
