Chanel Couture Moves with the Light

Chanel’s Spring 2025 Couture show arrived at a turning point. With Virginie Viard gone and Matthieu Blazy yet to take the reins, the collection fell to the Chanel Creation Studio—a rare moment of the house operating without a singular creative leader. Rather than chasing reinvention, the studio leant into the maison’s foundations, delivering a collection that explored colour, movement, and light while marking 110 years of Chanel Haute Couture.
The show opened with a tweed jacket hand-painted in soft pastel hues, paired with a bouclé mini skirt that skimmed just above the knee. Tailored jackets followed, rounded shoulders and feathered embellishments lending a softness to the silhouettes. Heritage lingered in the details—thin leather belts reined in light pastels, and the house’s classic two-tone cap-toe heels, now reworked as low-heeled wedges, kept the collection grounded in familiar territory. As the show progressed, so did the palette. A tweed ensemble layered over green satin, embroidered with delicate florals, made way for a red halter gown—sheer chiffon drifting over the body, its soft peplum adding just enough movement. Then came a yellow satin shirtdress, channelling 1930s Chanel with crystal buttons and lilac-trimmed cuffs.
As pastels melted into deeper tones, a vivid purple sequinned dress layered under a textured peach tweed coat signaled a shift, followed by the cool sheen of an oversized blue cape tied at the neck with a bow. Deep blacks arrived with sheer lace and beadwork, adding dimension to more fluid pieces. The runway itself, designed by scenographer Willo Perron, reinforced the house’s sense of continuity—an infinity loop layout shaped into Chanel’s signature double Cs. In an accompanying documentary, released to mark 110 years of Chanel Haute Couture, the lens turned inward, offering a rare glimpse at the petites mains at 31 rue Cambon—the artisans who have long upheld the house’s precision and construction.
Lulu Tenney, the finale bride, closed the show in a silver sequinned jacket and voluminous tulle skirt, with a camellia-topped veil and satin flats, a final nod to the house’s enduring codes. With the Chanel Creation Studio at the helm, the focus remained on preservation—adjusting proportions, softening structure, and balancing embellishment without straying too far from the familiar. Chanel, in transition, wasn’t here to shock or disrupt. Instead, it fine-tuned its foundations, letting craftsmanship take precedence over spectacle. With Matthieu Blazy’s arrival on the horizon, this collection held the house steady, offering continuity while leaving the next evolution of Chanel yet to be written.
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