Published
October 6, 2025
So, finally, the big one arrived: the most anticipated fashion debut at the richest fashion house in history: Matthieu Blazy’s inaugural show for Chanel, a bold, brave, witty, often beautiful and strangely daring collection that was an undoubted success.
The omens seemed correct as soon as one entered the Grand Palais, where Blazy had built a truly magnificent set. Like the great planets of the solar system; giant fabric balls with interior lighting, the sun 15 meters in diameter. The walkway features a lacquered lunar landscape that suggests molten rock and lava.
The staging was so epic that the 2,400 guests were encouraged to arrive an hour early to admire the space. The new universe of Chanel, before which the show began, revealing a seductive and intriguing collection.
Matthieu opened with suits, of course, but trouser suits in gray flannel, in a peculiar surprise, selected from pants that Coco borrowed from her great love, Boy Capel. Made of manly trousers and officer’s jackets, they set the stage for a brave, often experimental display from Blazy.
She sent dozens of Chanel suits or split suits. Many with a new wrap skirt made with pockets and cut at knee length and usually left frayed. Made from materials both classic and unexpected: lighter semi-sheer bouclé wool, airy checks, window checks or stiff denim, while the famous four-pocket jackets were finished with gold filigree or contrasting piping.
Surprisingly, she showed off multiple skirts so low that the underwear reached two inches. It seems unlikely that many of the wealthy VICs in the audience would actually embrace that idea, but his chutzpah was very appealing.
Blazy cleverly played with many codes, such as conceptual double-sized camellia brooches or Coco’s love of pearls, albeit used in densely woven necklaces. And she referenced Mademoiselle’s obsession with wheat by embroidering a sheaf of gold on an organza top.
Even the little black dress, whose invention is credited to Coco, received a clever makeover, either finished with gold laces or radically ruched with side knots.
For the evening, Matthieu went into overdrive: dense fabric flowers and petals worn on flamenco skirts, though some of which billowed alarmingly. While the lacquered surface alarmed some models, one of them took off a shoe right in front of a group of movie stars in the front row: Tilda Swinton, Pedro Almodóvar, Penélope Cruz, chatting animatedly alongside a silent Kendall Jenner.
All presented with a huge mix of music created jointly by veteran Chanel DJ Michel Gaubert and Belgian sound architect Le Motel. It included Isao Tomita’s electronic track “Venus, the Bringer of Peace”, The Corrs’ plaintiff hit “Runway” and spoken word clips from the television series “Dawson’s Creek”.
In the end, the set earned Blazy a lengthy standing ovation, which was heated when Ethiopian-Canadian Awar Odhiang in the final appearance began applauding and pleading with the audience to stand up.
“Chanel is about love. The birth of modernity in fashion comes from a love story. This is what I find most beautiful. It has no time or space; this is an idea of freedom. The freedom that Gabrielle Chanel wore and won,” Blazy said.
Ironically, in a set that mimicked the emptiness of outer space, the collection felt like a huge burst of fresh air into the lungs of the house of Chanel.
In all, this is a highly successful program and an innovative collection that will be highly influential. And it has to be said: the most successful designer of the 15 debuts at major fashion houses in this unique fashion week series.
It must be remembered that the Franco-Belgian designer was an unnoticed candidate for the most important creative position in the fashion sector. But after consistently earning rave reviews during a three-year tenure at Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta, he landed the job. It’s a big step forward in size. From a medium-sized provincial Italian house to Chanel, the world’s largest luxury fashion brand with annual sales of around $20 billion.
The discreet Chanel family owners, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, would clearly like Blazy to have another long, low-term run at the house.
He is only the fourth creative director in the brand’s history. Coco Chanel founded the brand in 1910 and ran it until 1973, when she died at the Ritz; Karl Lagerfeld, who ruled from 1983 until his death in 2019. Virginie Viard, Karl’s key assistant, by contrast, only lasted five years, until June 2024.
In a busy week, on the day of the show, the brand also announced two new ambassadors: Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and rising star Ayo Edebiri, the award-winning American actress, director and screenwriter, known for her breakout roles in the hit series “The Bear.”
Kidman wore an oversized, Boy Capel-style white shirt and duck-egg blue pants to the show, and attended with her daughters.
“From Baz Luhrmann’s unforgettable film to her countless red carpet looks, Nicole has always been part of the house’s history. Free and constantly changing, she is for me the embodiment of the Chanel woman,” said Blazy.
Edebiri recently wore creations by Chanel’s Blazy at the Venice Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
“Ayo is all strength, but at the same time she is vulnerable enough to always expose herself. She writes, acts, directs… Nothing can stop her,” Blazy insisted.
While tourists in Paris couldn’t help but notice this week’s new giant billboard in front of the Paris Opera: a beautiful Chanel high jewelry necklace from its No. 5 collection.
Suddenly, the Chanel dream seems very much alive and well again.
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