January 28, 2026 |
Let there be light! Matthieu Blazy’s debut Chanel couture show stripped away heaviness and superfluous decoration with a gorgeously gossamer collection. The opening look, a classic Chanel skirt suit, was made from a waft of translucent mousseline. The traditional chain which weights the hem of every Chanel jacket, was the only thing keeping it from floating away. Even the instantly recognisable, quilted Chanel flap bag came in the sheer fabric.
“I wanted to see whether, when you strip away the usual Chanel signatures – the tweed, the jewelled buttons – you can still get to that essence,” Blazy told WWD and explained how he edited a series of grand ball gowns out of his show to better focus on the intimate and personal aspects of couture, where everything is unique and made just for the wearer. He said he was guided by Coco Chanel who, when she first started making clothes, created what her clients wanted for everyday life. The essence of Chanel said Blazy is “clothes that women actually wear.”
And what clothes! Weightless despite the intense craft that went into making them. Sheer tweed jackets were composed of embroidered threads, their hems and cuffs hung with delicate natural pearls and little animal charm buttons. What looked like a white tank top and faded blue jeans was a masterpiece of trompe l’oeil, rendered in sheer mousseline and embroidered to have the look and texture of denim and cotton. A black sheath dress was worn with a dazzling suite of jewels that were in fact made of embroidered beads. The bridal look – although casual in shape (a loose jacket over a straight skirt) was entirely encrusted with mother-of-pearl scales.
A diverse cast of models of all ages walked on a fairyland runway festooned with giant mushrooms and curtains of pink weeping willow branches. Blazy invited each woman to add a personal touch to her look: a message, poem, initial. One model asked for the word kindness to be embroidered into her outfit.
Blazy instructed the 19M craft ateliers to experiment. They obliged. Some pieces thrilled with exuberant embroidered and feathered textures inspired by bird’s plumage, others were as devastatingly simple as a slim black jacket and trousers cut to perfection.
His approach is not without risk. The algorithm rewards lavish spectacle. Couturier’s can hide behind lavish embellishment but Blazy’s desire to reduce reads like an act of supreme confidence in his ability to handle silhouette and in his brief at Chanel.
Photography by Christina Fragkou.
