Beneath a canopy of glowing orbs, Matthieu Blazy made his debut for Chanel, stepping into one of fashion’s most mythologised roles. As only the fourth designer to lead the house in over a century, his arrival carried both weight and wonder.

Blazy approached Chanel with measured reverence - not to imitate, but to interpret. His Chanel wasn’t about spectacle; it was about movement. The show opened with cropped jackets and sharp trousers that borrowed from menswear codes, a subtle nod to Coco herself and her instinct for borrowing from the boys. Each look spoke of craft made light - tweeds reimagined in fluid viscose, tailoring that skimmed rather than sculpted, and knits softened to near liquid.

You could sense his material obsession - a continuation of what he perfected at Bottega Veneta - but now with a Parisian accent.

There was weight where needed, ease where wanted. Even the house signatures - the camellia, the chain, the 2.55 - appeared recontextualised: softened, slouched, human. The new handbag, wired for flexibility, looked intentionally lived-in, as though time itself was stitched into the leather.

The contrasts defined the collection: feathered skirts with satin tees, ribbed underlayers peeking from low-slung skirts, pearl ropes tangled just enough to feel uncalculated. Every element felt considered, but never precious.

Blazy proved that Chanel’s codes - when placed in capable hands - can still evolve without losing their essence. His message was subtle but clear: the house’s legacy doesn’t need protecting. It just need a new lease of life.

Images: courtesy of Chanel