Opening the final day of Paris Fashion Week, Chanel’s latest ready-to-wear runway premiered with a celebrity-infused bang. The legacy fashion house welcomed high profile guests, including Brie Larson, Emilia Clarke, Penelope Cruz and Blackpink’s Jennie Kim.
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It also saw Daisy Jones & The Six actresses, Camila Morrone and Riley Keough, on the front row, as well as Barbie actress Hari Nef and a one-time Barbie herself, Paris Hilton.
The runway collection was inspired by the Villa Noailles in Hyeres in southern France. The villa, designed in the 1920s for art patrons Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, was designed in the modernist architecture style of the era, offering a geometric and minimal summer house on the Cote D’Azur.
The vintage home evokes an image of French Riviera glamour that seeps through the Chanel collection, where seaside relaxation meets chic 21st century style.
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Tweed, coloured terrycloth and neoprene are some of the fabrics Chanel chose for its pieces, summoning the feel of Riviera glam. The brand continued its demure sixties-inspired aesthetic, showcasing mod mini skirts, shift dresses, jumpsuits, bermuda shorts and kaftans.
A cubist garden at the premises can be seen prominently in the collection, with square-patterned fabrics featuring in a portion of the wear. Meanwhile, sheer black organza united retro sensibilities with urban elegance.
“Here, clothes are liberated from constraint and emancipated from structure. Waists are low, heels are flat. Suits are lightweight and very supple: no epaulettes, no lining,” Chanel announced in its show notes. “Gilet-jackets, cardigans worn like dresses with a sense of freedom, trousers with pockets, wide leg shorts and asymmetrical skirts, bows and pleats complete this study of life in motion.”
When it came to footwear, Chanel offered sixties-inspired ballet flats, mary Janes, gogo boots and more. On the opposite end of the shoe spectrum, the fashion house also embraced the return of the thong—or flip flop.
A highlight of the runway was certainly Gigi Hadid in a relaxed black sequin suit. Perfect for cocktails by the pool at your French summer house, no?
All-in-all, Chanel’s latest collection is a celebration of carefree and elegant summer living, and, as the fashion house explains in its own words, the “Spring-Summer 2024 Ready-to-Wear collection is an invitation to enjoy life in the fresh air”.