Matthieu Blazy, the 41-year-old Belgian designer who took the helm at Chanel last year, has cemented his dream start with his haute couture debut, his third collection for the house. The show, held in the Grand Palais transformed into a willow wood with sugar-pink trees and giant mushrooms, received a standing ovation from an audience including Anna Wintour, Nicole Kidman and Dua Lipa. Backstage, veteran Chanel staff were high-fiving, a rare display of enthusiasm in the fashion world.
The collection opened with a boxy suit in tissue-thin mousseline rather than traditional tweed, allowing the chain sewn into the hem to glitter and dance. Highlights included a slip dress with gem-encrusted spaghetti straps under a transparent jacket, a birdcage earring with a tiny pearl, and a little black dress with a racer back framed by crimson feathers. Blazy's signature trompe l'œil touches appeared in denim jeans painted on mousseline and a raven-inspired dress with leather feathers.
Blazy emphasised warmth for the women who wear the clothes, with multigenerational and diverse casting. 'Women who are more mature bring a completely different dimension to my clothes,' he said backstage. 'They are not just beautiful; they have lived, they are anchored, they have seen the world.' He asked each model to choose something personal to be woven into their outfit, such as initials, a birthdate, a love letter, or a line of poetry. One model chose the word 'kindness', which was embroidered inside the garment by Lesage.
Blazy described his first haute couture show as 'light and joyful', noting the harshness of the world. The collection continues the fairytale era of his Chanel, blending craftsmanship with personal storytelling.
