This week, Chanel creative director Virginie Viard presented her 2020/21 Métiers d’art Collection to an audience of one: Kristen Stewart. The actress and house ambassador is set to star in the house’s latest campaign, shot by Juergen Teller at the “Château des Dames”, where the show was also held.
Since 2002, the Chanel Métiers d’art collection has paid tribute to the French fashion savoir-faire, endlessly reinvented in a constant dialogue between the house and artisans—a tradition started by Gabrielle Chanel.
Presented in December each year, outside the official show calendar, the ready-to-wear collection is always themed with a destination—real or imaginary—linked to the history or current events of the house.
This year’s location was a fascinating one, as explained by Viard, who says; “Showing at the Château de Chenonceau, at the ‘Château des Dames’, was an obvious choice.”
“It was designed and lived in by women, including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici. It is a castle on a human scale. And Catherine de’ Medici’s emblem was a monogram composed of two intertwined Cs, just like that of Chanel,” the designer adds.
The location served as inspiration for Viard’s designs, including a checkerboard motif that was sparked by the castle’s floors.
The prominence of black used in the collection is a nod to Catherine de’ Medici only wearing black after the death of Henry II.
The rest of the collection serves to highlight the skill of the Chanel Métiers, including a black lace dress composed of stud-punctuated latticework made by Lemarié, embroidery inspired by the Château’s gardens courtesy of Lesage, and princess hats by Maison Michel.
The beauty was equally as bewitching, embodying the Renaissance spirit. The makeup, created by Lucia Pica, was graphic and strong—giving a modern interpretation of strong women owning their power.
“The makeup is graphic and strong, it exaggerates the eyes into a bigger, wider shape,” says Pica. “The look emphasises black and matte on the eyes with clear shiny lips and a blurry matte skin.”
Below, our favourite looks from the Chanel 2020/21 Métiers D’Art Collection.
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