6 March 2026
There’s a particular kind of magic that happens when Matthieu Blazy reimagines a classic. And nowhere is that magic more evident than in CHANEL’s latest take on two of the maison’s most revered silhouettes: the ballet flat and the slingback.
If you’ve been wearing CHANEL ballet flats or slingbacks for the past few decades, you know the formula by heart – those pristine color-blocked toes in camel and black or silver and navy have been the quiet sophistication that makes everything work. But this season? Blazy has gently disrupted that formula, and it’s absolutely brilliant.
The standout evolution is the ranging shape of the toe. Rather than the prim, compact shape we’ve known forever, these new silhouettes stretch and extend the toe proportions ever so slightly and are offered in everything from squared to pointy. It’s a modest change, really – the kind you might not immediately register but will absolutely feel when you slip them on. Less schoolyard perfection, more modern ease. The overall effect? A shoe that somehow manages to feel both timeless and completely fresh.
S/S 26 RTW
S/S 26 RTW
This season, CHANEL has gone wild (well, as wild as CHANEL does) with material combinations. We’re seeing:
Denim in gorgeous blues that immediately place these flats in “weekend essential” territory. Pair them with white jeans or a linen dress, and you’ve got effortless chic on lock.
Iridescent lambskin mixed with regular lambskin – because apparently one type of luxury leather is just asking for more. The light-catching quality of these is hypnotic without being loud.
Contrasting animal prints in this classic style are vibrant and chic. These aren’t your mother’s ballet flats (though she’d probably borrow them in a heartbeat).
S/S 2026 Pre-Collection
S/S 2026 Pre-Collection
S/S 26 RTW, @buttercup.finds
If ballet flats are CHANEL’s reliable friend, slingbacks are the slightly more daring cousin. This season, they’re having a major moment.
One of the standout styles features a bold color combination of patent calfskin paired with regular lambskin in black and white. It’s graphic enough to make a statement but refined enough that you’d wear it to the office without a second thought.
The chocolate brown alligator slingbacks with crisp white leather striping are pure poetry – high-contrast in the best CHANEL tradition, but executed with a refined restraint that feels distinctly now.
And let’s talk about the mesh and grosgrain hybrid versions. Not every luxury house would have the confidence to mix such textures, but CHANEL pulls it off with the ease of someone who literally invented this business.
S/S 26 RTW
S/S 26 RTW
S/S 2026 Pre-Collection
What’s truly impressive about these collections is how Blazy honours CHANEL DNA while pushing it forward. These aren’t radical reinventions – they’re calibrated updates. A slightly different proportional balance here, an unexpected fabrication there, the continued reverence for the cap-toe that made these shoes iconic in the first place.
The fact that these styles come in washed denim alongside patent leather tells you everything about CHANEL’s thinking this season: these are shoes meant to be lived in, not preserved under glass.
Whether you’re a ballet flat devotee or a slingback loyalist, the Spring/Summer 2026 Pre and RTW collections feel like they were made for you. Blazy hasn’t disrupted CHANEL’s legacy – he’s gently steered it toward something more modern, more relaxed, and somehow more essential than ever.
These are the shoes you’ll reach for again and again. The ones that work as hard as you do, look infinitely better, and somehow make everything else in your closet feel more elevated.
Expect these to sell out. Really.
S/S 2026 Pre-Collection
S/S 26 RTW
Available now in CHANEL boutiques and for viewing at CHANEL.COM