Home
+
Published : 08 Jul 2026, 08:28 PM
Matthieu Blazy draws on classic fairy tales for his second Chanel haute couture collection, shown Tuesday in Paris.
Models walk past giant flower sets in bird's-nest hats and tweed skirts slit at the leg.
A sheer skirt and jacket carry embroidered vines, a dress bears feathered wings, and appliquéd swans nod to tales like Jack and the Beanstalk, according to The Guardian.
The opening look, a sheer mousseline suit, arrives alongside a century-old fairytale book once owned by Coco Chanel.
Front-row guests include Catherine Deneuve, Tilda Swinton, Alexa Demie, and Pedro Pascal.
Details carry the storytelling -- a row of buttons runs from ugly duckling to swan, a golden bear-shaped minaudière nods to Goldilocks, and a jacket lining is hand-painted with a scene from Puss in Boots.
Feather ruffs trim several dresses, with beaded necklines repeated across the collection.
Backstage, Blazy says his favourite fairy tale is Coco's own. "She climbed the ladder to find her golden goose, by making clothes for real women. Her clothes were never parodies. They were rooted in life."
The cast spans generations, including 50-year-old model Stephanie, marking her birthday on the runway.
Blazy says he loves "the mentorship and conversation" between older and younger models.
Breaking tradition, the bridal gown isn't the finale -- Blazy closes instead with a black "revenge" dress, noting Coco never married.
He points to a shift toward "the adventure of the everyday": a jacket lining embroidered with to-do lists and shopping reminders styled as Post-it notes.
Wider trends emerge too -- sheer layering over visible underpinnings, fluid untucked silhouettes, and a return to soft lilac and mint tones, echoing looks from Dior's couture show a day earlier.
Chanel's fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky calls it the best show ever in couture, citing strong demand for the label's newer "25" bag alongside its classic flap style.
Despite acquiring shirtmaker Charvet, Pavlovsky rules out expanding into menswear or lifestyle ventures. "We are not dressing men... Everything we do is about fashion for women," he says, adding that being privately held frees Chanel from pressure to expand into every category.
