27 January 2026
A breath of fresh air! Matthieu Blazy’s debut couture collection for CHANEL was as light as a feather, but at the same time, very grounding. “Haute Couture is the very soul of CHANEL – it is the foundation and the full expression of the House,” Blazy said in his show notes. This was couture for the real world – pieces you could freely move and live in, the extravagance felt through the material, craftsmanship and intricate detailing.
The models sashayed like fairies in a magical mushroom realm, complete with pastel pink weeping willows. Instead of transparent wings, they had layers of sheer silk muslin. Delicate tones made up most of the colour scheme, accompanied by pops of bright red, blue, green and yellow. Of course there was also classic black and white.
CHANEL
CHANEL
The theme was clear from the start: freedom. Freedom to live, freedom to dream. Feathered texture, floating silk and bird motifs reinforced this idea throughout – hummingbirds, peacocks and ravens – because we all need a little darkness sometimes. As we’ve seen so far from Blazy at CHANEL, knee length skirts and drop waists prevailed as the leading silhouette, but were accompanied by pant suits and flowing dresses – all stripped to their lightest formats.
And the bags! A rarity in a couture collection – here six were shown. All six were variations of the CHANEL classic flap rendered in transparent, weightless muslin. The key was an embroidered letter peeking out. What makes this special is that clients will have the opportunity to create their own custom inscriptions in their acquisition of these pieces.
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CHANEL
CHANEL
CHANEL
CHANEL
CHANEL
Beyond the clothing itself, inclusivity in the casting of the models provided further freshness to the presentation – reinforcing the idea of every woman as the CHANEL woman. Bhavitha Mandava was a highlight in particular. Following her headline making appearance at the CHANEL Metiers d’Art 2026 show as the first model of Indian descent to open a CHANEL show, she closed this show as the couture bride. Wearing a two-piece look – a loose fitting collared jacket with skirt hitting just below the knee – covered in shimmering iridescent petals, and a feathered headpiece.
CHANEL
CHANEL
The front row was ambassador clad – Penelope Cruz, A$AP Rocky, Margaret Qualley, Dua Lipa and Nicole Kidman, among others. Everyone was all smiles, applauding and singing along with the soundtrack as the models made their final round.
Matthieu summed up his intention of the collection perfectly: “to consider this collection almost as a break: something magical, something that makes you dream, something poetic, a calm moment of quietness, almost like a Sunday morning.” A very majestic Sunday morning, indeed.
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CHANEL
CHANEL