Under the soaring glass roof of the Grand Palais, Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 2025/26 Ready-to-Wear collection unfolds like a theatre of dreamlike illusions. With scenographer Willo Perron’s installation — black ribbons twisting and turning through the space — the collection plays with size, length, and proportion, reinterpreting classic House codes with a fresh perspective.
Matthieu Blazy has quietly reshaped the French heritage house, balancing tradition with fresh ideas. His knack for proportion and texture was on full display, making classic Chanel codes feel effortlessly modern. Even a pigeon seemed to approve, confidently strutting across the runway as if it had been cast for the show.
This season, silhouettes defy expectations. A cropped tweed jacket in blue, white, and pink is paired with exaggeratedly long trousers, while a voluminous poplin shirt cascades to ankle length. A black tweed jacket, edged with braid, extends into a long coat-dress adorned with jewelled buttons, and a cape transforms into jacket cuffs. Bows, ribbons, pearls, and camellias — some of Chanel’s most enduring signatures — appear in unexpected ways. Bows bloom across collars and cuffs, tumble down the length of a black down jacket, and even form sculptural cut-outs on dresses and knits.
Accessories continue the theme of trompe l’oeil: heels fashioned from single pearls, a cross-body bag mimicking an oversized pearl necklace, and rhinestone jewellery that revels in maximalism. Among the standout accessories were pearl-encrusted handbags — some structured and refined, others playful and oversized, shimmering under the runway lights.
Layering takes centre stage, offering new ways to build a look. A grenadine tweed trio — micro-jacket, wrap skirt, and flared trousers — is lined with flashes of bright red silk. Another ensemble in rich bronze layers a tunic and trousers beneath a buttoned-over skirt, while a sleeveless blouson gilet meets a slit ivory skirt topped with a miniskirt. Transparency plays its part too, with sheer black or white tulle capes floating over sharp tweed tailoring, and blouses layering over structured jackets, creating fluid, shifting silhouettes.
Texture and fabrication bring an added dimension to the illusion. Chiffon mimics denim, silk takes on the look of tweed, and a hooded black organza parka is adorned with bows. Sock-ankle boots and satin bouillonné details enhance the sense of delicacy, while ruff collars resembling floral corollas, lace-trimmed trench coats, and 3D petal embellishments add a poetic finish.
Chanel’s latest offering flirts with fantasy while remaining grounded in the House’s unmistakable DNA. It’s a world where classic codes are revisited, proportions are reimagined, and illusions become reality.
Discover the collection here.
photography. Chanel
words. Gennaro Costanzo
