October 6, 2020 |
An iconic piece of La La Land came to Paris. Chanel co-opted the Hollywood sign, using enormous letters as a backdrop for its SS21 show. Movies were on Virginie Viard’s mind. “This collection is a tribute to the muses of the House. Some of them are far away, it’s been a long time since we saw them. Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld dressed so many actresses in films and in real life. I was thinking about them who make us dream so much. But without wanting to replicate. Without falling into a vintage citation. I wanted it to be very joyful, colourful, and very vibrant too,” so said Viard, before her best show so far for the house.
Viard isn’t one to do literal pastiche. The ghosts of Jeanne Moreau, Anna Karina, or Romy Schneider were present, but Viard struck just the right balance between the cool, French codes of chic that she reveres and the kind of devil-may-care fun that makes a big brand fizz. So alongside the tasteful ecru and black ensembles, and an excellent passage of big-shouldered, 80s-style skirt suits, jazzy neon-coloured Chanel lettering tumbling over printed t-shirts and dresses and there was enough pink to keep a Disney Princess (or Paris Hilton) happy. There were baby pink Bermuda shorts, a flamingo pink denim version of the classic Chanel jacket worn with a matching mini skirt and bag, acid wash pink jeans and teeny-tiny quilted Chanel bags that hung from belts, bangles or necklaces. Adorable!
“I was thinking about actresses at the photocall, on the red carpet, that moment when they’re being called to by the photographers: their faces a little distracted, their attitude a little out of sync with the outfits they’re wearing. And then there’s the fans waiting for them behind the barriers, this very lively side to cinema that happens beyond cinema, that’s what I like,” explained Viard. We like it too.
Photography courtesy of Chanel.
