Chanel has revealed little that we did not already know. As the Maison awaits the highly anticipated arrival of Matthieu Blazy—set to take over as creative director this September following Virginie Viard’s departure last June—the brand has found itself in an extended period of transition. Its latest ready-to-wear collection, designed by the in-house studio team, felt more like an interlude, a deliberate return to the basics before fresh creative direction begins to take shape.

Assumably, house loyalists would have been pleased with the collection. Under the light-filled dome of the Grand Palais, signature silhouettes and motifs zipped up and down a ribbon-shaped runway. The whole thing was very Chanel. There were pearls, and bows, and camellias, and yes, of course, lots of tweed. Vittoria Ceretti opened the show in a double-breasted tweed mini dress, embellished with ornate buttons and playful bow ties. The addition of a sheer tulle hem added a contemporary touch to a perennial silhouette that has, since its creation in the 1920s, come to symbolise the very essence of the brand. Across the 70 looks, tulle featured prominently, emerging as a kind of counterforce to the structured lines of Chanel’s pragmatic tailoring, injecting some softness and levity into the otherwise demure silhouettes.

Although the collection largely adhered to a well-established playbook, there were moments of genuine intrigue, too. A trompe l’oeil denim set, spun from chiffon, offered a light-hearted subversion of denim’s traditional ruggedness. An oversized puffer jacket, cinched with black ribbons, blended streetwear sensibilities with a classic feminine motif. Elsewhere, pearls—an enduring emblem of the house—were scaled up to dramatic proportions, draped across the body like a pageant sash in some instances, and forming the sculptural heel of a shoe in others.

In the end, this collection felt more like an exercise in preservation than reinvention. It was an assured celebration of Chanel’s most beloved signatures, executed with an almost excessive reverence for house codes. Come September, we will have a clearer idea of Blazy’s vision for the future. But for now, Chanel remains Chanel—timeless, classic, and maybe just a touch predictable.