Last night Chanel transformed the MTA into the chicest place imaginable for Matthieu Blazy’s sophomore Métiers d’art collection. Innovation, textile manipulation and sly visual trickery have become his signatures and this incredible presentation was no exception delivering a playful, childlike wonder that shaped every character seamlessly bridging the different eras of the brand.
The show unfolded with a cinematic surge of personality only Blazy could conjure. Flappers reimagined for current day, socialites and showgirls alongside downtown muses, Coco Chanel appearing as both icon and archetype while decades of the House collided on the subway platform. Denim masquerading as lingerie, minaudières transformed into oyster shells, and elevated souvenirs of the city transformed into magical must have accessories.
The artisans of le19M pushed craft into the realm of fantasy, turning New York’s grit and glitter into something mythic. Blazy’s ability to collapse time, shift perspective and fuse precision with play continues to define a bold new era for Chanel and just when the energy seemed an all time high, the models emerged for the finale set ton “Happy Days” by Pratt & McClain, a joyful and unmistakably New York wink.
Chanel’s cross town line is officially the train everyone wants to miss their stop on.
“The New York subway belongs to all. Everyone uses it: there are students and gamechangers; statesmen and teenagers. It is a place full of enigmatic yet wonderful encounters, a clash of pop archetypes, where everyone has somewhere to go and each is unique in what they wear. Like in the movies, they are the heroes of their own stories.” – Matthieu Blazy
Photos courtesy of Chanel.