Chanel presented a subdued haute couture show at Paris Fashion Week, offering a contrast to the social media storm surrounding Schiaparelli's faux-taxidermy designs. Virginie Viard, who succeeded Karl Lagerfeld four years ago, drew inspiration from the animals in Coco Chanel's Paris apartment, featuring abstract plywood sculptures by artist Xavier Veilhan instead of realistic animal motifs.
The show included models in glitter tweed suits, with subtle drama added through top hats and bow ties worn as chokers. This understated approach stood in contrast to Schiaparelli's lion head design worn by Kylie Jenner, which sparked outrage from animal lovers until Peta's president defended it as celebrating the lion's beauty.
Chanel is set to dominate the fashion spotlight this year with a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York honouring Lagerfeld, followed by a retrospective of Coco Chanel at the V&A in London. Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel's president of fashion, praised the Met exhibition and noted the brand's ongoing relationship with Hollywood, which began in 1931 when Gabrielle Chanel was invited by movie mogul Sam Goldwyn.
Chanel will stage a Cruise catwalk show in Los Angeles in May, a week after the Met Gala. Pavlovsky emphasised the brand's commitment to supporting its red carpet ambassadors, including Kristen Stewart and Penélope Cruz, who were best actress nominees last year. He stated, 'You cannot be Chanel just by staying in an apartment on the first floor of the 1st arrondissement of Paris.'
