Since taking the creative helm of Chanel, Matthieu Blazy has approached the maison with quiet confidence. Rather than rebranding, he is enduring Gabrielle Chanel’s vision, Blazy has focused on refining the house’s timeless code, preserving its legacy and elegance while introducing a contemporary perspective rooted in fine craft, functionality, and modern femininity. His work reflects a deep respect for Chanel’s heritage, proving that the future of the maison lies not in abandoning its past but in allowing its icons to evolve naturally.
For the collection for Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week AW 26/’27, Chanel closed the second day with a show that felt less like a runway but more like a fable. For Blazy’s major second haute couture collection, he swapped the toadstool woodland of his January debut for something dreamy, a fairytale that seemed to have quietly taken over Gabrielle Chanel’s own gilded Paris apartment.
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Chanel released a short animated teaser that hinted at exactly this direction. It was whimsical and quietly cinematic, and it set expectations for the collection built around growth, transformation, and a touch of magic realism. The teaser wasn’t just a mood; it was almost literally the set. The conceptual thread running through the collection traced back to Jack and the Beanstalk. Blazy has said he came across a book of fairytales that once belonged to Gabrielle Chanel herself, and it made him wonder whether her own life—the myth-making, the reinvention—was its own kind of fairytale.
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The Grand Palais was transformed into a jungle overtaking Gabrielle Chanel’s own gilded apartment, with vines climbing through the rafters and golden chairs lifted amidst the greenery—a scene Blazy has liked in Jumanji. The collection opened on tweed suiting, soft florals, and bold checks, with boxy jackets topped with flower-strewn headpieces. Midway, texture took over; ostrich feathers look engulfed in soft plumage and sheer lilac- and blush-layered gauzy vests. Vine-like details were seen on the heels, and several dresses were spiral cut to make them look like climbing plants. The true finale was a simple black dress, Blazy’s “revenge dress.” It was a reflection on how Chanel was born.
Two seasons in, a pattern is emerging in Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel: it’s story-driven; it’s wearable art. AW 26/27 Haute Couture leaned further into the roots where fairytale took over the runway and bloomed beautifully, proof that under Blazy, Chanel’s couture keeps growing without ever losing its shape.
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Images: Supplied & Feature Image: Supplied
