Margot Robbie & Oprah at Chanel’s Colorful New Collection | Blazy’s Vision
Paris Fashion Week continues to be a magnet for Hollywood’s elite, and the latest Chanel show proved no exception. , Matthieu Blazy presented his second ready-to-wear collection for the iconic fashion house, drawing a star-studded crowd including Margot Robbie, Oprah Winfrey, Kylie Minogue, and Lily-Rose Depp.
Blazy, six months into his role at Chanel, signaled a continued evolution of the brand with a collection centered around the concept of transformation – “dresses that crawl and dresses that fly,” as inspired by a quote from Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself. The show’s set, featuring brightly colored cranes rising from a holographic floor, visually represented this ongoing “construction,” though some Parisians found the imagery less evocative than the real cranes visible above Notre-Dame cathedral.
The presence of such a high-profile audience – as well including Jennie, Teyana Taylor, and Olivia Dean – suggests a solid foundation for Blazy’s vision. His debut collection last October was described as sprawling, but this latest offering demonstrates a more disciplined approach. The collection’s structure hinged on a tension between simplicity and extravagance, function and fantasy.
The opening looks were deliberately austere. Black knit zip-ups, tweed blousons, and boxy overshirts were presented with minimal embellishment – often just four gold buttons – to emphasize their connection to the core Chanel aesthetic. Blazy explained that the suit is “the first brick,” the foundational element from which everything else builds. This echoes Chanel’s own practice of elevating everyday dress, transforming the ordinary into something precious, exemplified by the gold-painted gauze covering a wall in her Rue Cambon apartment.
Blazy is applying this principle to Chanel’s codes, deconstructing and rebuilding classic silhouettes. He stripped the suit down to its essential components – a knit shirt jacket or pressed-tweed blouson – before reconstructing it using materials like silicone-woven fabric and metallic mesh. This process of dismantling and reassembling is central to his approach.
A particularly provocative element of the collection was its silhouette. Blazy dramatically lowered waistlines, with belts slung to mid-thigh and pleated skirts beginning where blazers ended. This move represents a significant shift in the house’s traditional aesthetic, pushing boundaries while remaining rooted in Chanel’s legacy.
The show wasn’t simply a display of clothing; it was a statement about Blazy’s ongoing project to redefine Chanel for a latest era. He’s not attempting to replicate the past, but rather to build upon it, honoring the spirit of innovation that defined Gabrielle Chanel’s original vision. The collection’s architectural approach, starting with the foundational suit and building outwards, underscores this commitment to a deliberate and thoughtful evolution.
The strong celebrity turnout at the Grand Palais underscores the continued cultural relevance of Chanel and the anticipation surrounding Blazy’s direction. The presence of figures like Robbie and Winfrey signals that the brand remains a powerful force in both the fashion and entertainment worlds. The show’s success, as evidenced by the impressive guest list, suggests that Blazy is successfully navigating the challenges of taking the reins of such a storied and influential house.
While the holographic cranes may not have captured the dreamy quality of their real-life counterparts, the collection itself offered a compelling vision of Chanel’s future – a future built on a foundation of tradition, innovation, and a willingness to challenge conventions. The focus on architectural structure and transformative silhouettes suggests that Blazy is not simply designing clothes, but crafting a narrative about the evolution of style and the enduring power of the Chanel brand.