Following triumphant ready-to-wear and Métiers d’Art debuts, Matthieu Blazy confronted a contemporary problem along with his first high fashion assortment—not solely as Chanel’s new inventive director, however ever. However beneath a whimsical cover of towering mushroom caps and pink weeping willows, the designer as soon as once more exceeded the hype, presenting a fascinating Spring/Summer season 2026 Haute Couture present that can dwell on in our minds.
“Haute Couture is the very soul of Chanel,” Blazy wrote within the shownotes. “These are garments which can be as a lot in regards to the wearer because the designer.” That concept—of clothes as a sort of shared authorship—guided the gathering from its opening look: a Chanel swimsuit rendered in sheer silk mousseline, pared again to its important traces and washed in tender hues. Showing nearly like a reminiscence of a garment that was directly naked and wealthy with historical past.
From this distinct silhouette, the easy query Blazy posited was clear: what makes Chanel, Chanel? His reply lay not in overt references, however in emotional structure. Tokens of intimacy, together with a handwritten love letter, a vial of N°5, and a flash of pink lipstick, had been embroidered, suspended or hidden inside clothes. Pockets grew to become repositories of non-public historical past, whereas chains revealed what’s normally hid. Couture, right here, was not simply worn however inhabited and given which means via put on.
As the gathering unfolded, a change befell. Fashions grew to become birds—symbolically, texturally, typically nearly actually. Raven-black tailoring showcased the precision of the tailleur atelier, whereas flou strategies softened silhouettes into flight-ready kinds. Ideas of feathers had been conjured via pleating, weaving and embroidery developed with the artisans of le19M. The avian forged ranged from pigeons to spoonbills, herons to cockatoos, every realised with distinct character.
Whereas we’ve come to anticipate efficiency throughout this week, for Blazy, couture will not be about spectacle for its personal sake. “It’s the garments worn that give them a real story,” he famous. On this debut, Chanel’s codes had been neither mummified nor rewritten, however allowed to breathe, morph and migrate. His first Chanel bride could have been one of the best instance for this; wearing a feathery pailette two-piece shirt and skirt set that moved with a sort of trendy magic one can’t fairly imagine was crafted by hand—the very crux of an excellent couture assortment, we’d say.
