Engaged in the clothing industry for 20 years.
Chanel plays with proportions as Paris Fashion Week wraps up
Chanel presented its Fall-Winter collection
on the last day of Paris Women’s Fashion Week on Tuesday, playing with
proportions and layering in a show designed without incoming artistic director
Matthieu Blazy.
Staged in the Grand Palais exhibition hall in central Paris, the catwalk
presentation featured a monumental black ribbon that spiralled up to the glass
ceiling.
Clothing highlights included a black tweed jacket with jewel buttons that
transformed into a long coat-dress, while an oversize poplin shirt flowed down
to the ankles.
A pink tailored short ensemble was layered with a sheer jacket and matching
long transparent skirt.
Proportions were also at play in the accessories, with bags resembling
oversize pearl necklaces, massive pearl rings or large clutches. Miniature
handbags made an appearance as well.
The discreet yet highly respected Blazy was appointed artistic director of
Chanel in December, six months after the abrupt departure of Virginie Viard.
His first collection will be at the Spring-Summer 2026 Fashion Week in
September, with front-row places set to be in high demand.
Celebrities attending on Tuesday included fashion icon Anna Wintour,
supermodel Naomi Campbell, South African singer Tyla, and French actors Anna
Mouglalis and Carole Bouquet.
Paris Fashion Week will wrap up with Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent
show later Tuesday, following a presentation by Miu Miu.
Changes
This Fashion Week has seen several new creative directors make their debuts.
Sarah Burton earned rave reviews for her first show as head of Givenchy,
which drew inspiration from the house’s heritage.
The first Dries Van Noten show by Belgian designer Julian Klausner and
Haider Ackermann’s debut at Tom Ford — the American label’s first-ever Paris
show — also drew scrutiny.
Other labels that are either bedding in new designers or looking for fresh
talent include Dior menswear, Bottega Veneta, Celine, Martin Margiela and
Gucci.
Speculation continues to swirl around Dior womenswear amid rumours that
this may have been Maria Grazia Chiuri’s final collection.
For months, industry insiders have suggested the Italian artistic director
could be leaving, possibly for Gucci.
Recent departures — Sabato De Sarno from Gucci and Kim Jones from Dior
Homme — have only fuelled the buzz.
Industry sources suggest LVMH may be looking to hand Dior men’s and women’s
collections to Jonathan Anderson, currently at the helm of Loewe, another
LVMH-owned brand.
The theory has gained traction given Anderson’s absence from the recent
men’s Fashion Weeks in Milan, Paris and London.
In the latest shake-up, British designer Mark Thomas has taken the helm at
Carven, succeeding Louise Trotter, who moved to Bottega Veneta in December.
More announcements are expected, with Celine and Fendi still lacking
artistic directors.
Meanwhile, John Galliano, who left Maison Margiela in December after a
decade, has yet to announce his next move.(AFP)