The fashion world has been forced to set up camp on the edge of their front row seats, waiting to see who will be unmasked as Chanel’s new creative director in the months since Virginie Viard’s departure. So, for its Spring/Summer 2025 debut, the first ready-to-wear collection presented without a figurehead, the French luxuriate put on a show that eased any confusion. Leadership may be up in the air, but the house’s codes have firmly planted roots.
At the newly christened Grand Palais, the Maison marked a grand return to its architectural muse with a spectacle that took fashion to new heights, quite literally. Beneath the glass canopy of the iconic Nave, a monumental birdcage was the centrepiece, symbolising liberation and flight. This aviary-inspired marvel, a nod to a birdcage once gifted to Gabrielle Chanel, anchored the show’s whimsical narrative of freedom—and hosted an ethereal performance by house ambassador Riley Keough.
As for the collection, Chanel’s signatures were in full focus, harmonising textural robustness against weightless layers. Chiffon capes fluttered, and transparent panelling peeked out from tweed skirt sets, while feather details and ornate hardware brought a touch of old-world opulence to wardrobe heroes. With no time or place particularly referenced, the studio team delivered a collection less about a message and more about some really good clothes.
From the garçonne movement of the Roaring Twenties to the pioneering aviatrixes, this collection was a tribute to those who soared beyond convention and expectation, much like the house’s founder, Gabrielle. Aviator jackets, sleek flight suits, and Peter Pan collars evoked an intrepid beauty. In contrast, suits in pastel tweeds and knitted black skirts paid tribute to Chanel’s timeless codes and the venue’s reinvigorated architecture. Spanning from dawn to dusk in its palette, the collection was a poetic voyage through the skies, embodying the freedom and grace at the heart of Chanel.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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