PARIS (AP) — Solely Chanel would name its legendary Rue Cambon salon “too small” — then rebuild it, supersized, in a palace.
On Tuesday, as the home marked 110 years of its high fashion — a century and extra of Coco Chanel’s revolution in how girls gown — it blew up its atelier as an enormous set contained in the freshly restored Grand Palais, turning intimacy into spectacle for a nature-drenched present at Paris Couture Week.
Chanel, whose founder banished corsets and reimagined luxurious as liberation, confirmed simply how far that legacy stretches: from the tiny salons of 1915 to its trendy colossus.
It was a flex solely a handful of luxurious giants may pull off — and maybe, as one front-row visitor recommended, a stunning distraction as the style world counts right down to the debut of Chanel’s new designer Matthieu Blazy.
Penélope Cruz, Naomi Campbell and the home’s tightest VIP circle scaled gilded steps, sweating previous marble and gold, to enter the reconstructed atelier. The set by Willo Perron was traditional Chanel: intimate but monumental, outdated world but futuristic.
“It just felt special,” Campbell mentioned, “like stepping right into a reminiscence and one thing utterly new. There’s heat, intimacy, nostalgia. Chanel can recreate something, and it really works.”
Chanel goes nation
Extra drama unfolded on the runway. This was couture as nature fantasy, filtered by means of the Chanel prism. Menswear tailoring added swing to sculpted jackets and coatdresses, whereas mohair fits in deep greens and plums channeled autumn’s hush. Bouclé tweeds mimicked sheepskin; feathers and tweed created illusionary fake fur.
Gold-sprayed wheat ears — the home image of abundance — have been in all places: stitched into flounces, embroidered on necklines, set on each visitor’s seat. The theme could have been nation, however make no mistake: This was as shut as Chanel will get to “roughing it.”
Method dazzled at each flip: jewel-buttons, embroidered florals and a finale of lamé so luminous it mimicked daylight on harvest fields. The studio group, holding the fort after Virginie Viard’s abrupt and unceremonious exit final 12 months, anchored the present in traditional codes however performed with wit and lightness.
That obsessive handwork issues — not only for custom, however for enterprise. Chanel is style’s juggernaut: Privately held, the model reported $18.7 billion in income for 2024, cementing its standing as one of many world’s strongest luxurious homes. Couture could be the crown, however its affect drives world gross sales in perfume, baggage and jewellery, making it the envy of rivals.
New period for the posh big
Change is at all times looming at Chanel. For greater than 30 years, Karl Lagerfeld remodeled the model from Parisian legend to pop phenomenon, staging ever-grander spectacles on the Grand Palais. After his loss of life in 2019, Viard, his longtime deputy, guided Chanel right into a softer, extra discreet period.
Now the business is holding its breath for Blazy, a Belgian expertise with stints at Margiela, Celine and most just lately Bottega Veneta, the place he received followers for his mix of innovation and reverence for craft.
Campbell mentioned of Blazy, whom she is aware of personally: “He’s focused, open-minded — he’ll bring something special.”
Tuesday’s present unfolded contained in the Grand Palais’ newly restored Salon d’Honneur, its gold and stone revealed after a 600-million-euro, multi-year restoration co-funded by Chanel. It’s greater than a venue; it’s an commercial of the home’s energy and dedication to Parisian heritage.
