5 things we loved about the Chanel Métiers d'Art 2026 show Matthieu Blazy's vision takes shape in New York and improves with each look

The Chanel Métiers d'Art 2026 show presented yesterday in New York — the second collection designed by Matthieu Blazy for the house — was a stunning step forward after the pharaonic “planets” spectacle that closed the most recent Paris Fashion Week. The Métiers d'Art collections are incredibly specific within the Chanel universe; one could say that only Haute Couture sits above them. Indeed, after ready-to-wear and yesterday’s presentation, Blazy now only lacks the third and final step — Couture itself — to fully consolidate the new direction he has set for the brand.

If his very first Paris debut had already made it quite clear what direction — or at least what vision — Blazy had in mind, yesterday’s collection allowed that initial vision to breathe more freely and even gain a welcome lightness. After the recent re-centering of the house in the post-Lagerfeld and post-Viard era, it’s refreshing to see a brand like Chanel exploring its own possibilities and expanding its identity.

Here are 5 things we loved about the Chanel Métiers d'Art 2026 show.

1. C for Camp

Chanel has always been a bastion of French good taste, yet during Karl Lagerfeld’s long reign the house revealed a pop, self-ironic, and endlessly playful soul that married perfectly with its elevated savoir-faire and the inherently elegant DNA of the Maison. In recent years it was precisely the more bon-chic-bon-genre side that had prevailed, while the irony — and at times the delightful eccentricity — had faded.

Yesterday we witnessed the return of that refined campiness: a flood of leopard jackets and dresses, the I Love New York T-shirt paired with the classic tweed suit, theatrical feather boas, a jacket-and-shirt look under which peeked a sweater referencing Superman’s costume, Alex Consani in pinstripes and fedora like a Prohibition-era gangster, a full look covered in puppy prints and another in ladybugs, two-tone shoes with cartoon eyes on the uppers. All signs of ironic self-satisfaction that lightened the usual gravitas of Chanel’s savoir-faire.

2. Menswear is in the eye of the beholder

Both president Bruno Pavlovsky and Blazy himself have repeated it countless times: Chanel makes women’s fashion, but many pieces can also be worn by men. “We are a women’s brand, but we are happy to offer some products to men as well. It’s an obvious choice,” Pavlovsky told the South China Morning Post just two days ago. And of course it was impossible not to notice the presence of A$AP Rocky, the brand’s new ambassador, starring in the video campaign alongside Margaret Qualley.

Rocky is the latest in a long line of male Chanel ambassadors: from Pharrell to Baptiste Giabiconi, via Brad Pitt and Timothée Chalamet. Yesterday there were no overtly men’s suits on the runway, but there were suits that men could wear. Alex Consani’s tailored suits and the aforementioned jacket-shirt combo with the blue sweater certainly qualified, yet one man did walk the runway: Yura Romaniuk, who wore an evening suit for the penultimate look.

Romaniuk is perhaps the next top model we’ll be hearing about in 2026: he debuted with Miu Miu SS23 and throughout his career has completely erased any distinction between menswear and womenswear, walking indifferently for both categories. For the record, he currently uses he/him pronouns. Romaniuk’s presence confirms the openness the house is showing toward the menswear market without betraying its original roots.

3. Chanel’s casual soul

People often talk about wearable clothes. The famous tweed jackets and long evening gowns certainly are — but for special occasions. Yesterday’s entire show, however, placed huge emphasis on denim (never plain denim — this is Métiers d'Art, after all) while strongly conveying a casual, urban, carefree vibe — the kind of clothes you throw on to go out.

In that sense, the opening look was symbolic: a beige quarter-zip, jeans, pearls, and of course a chain-strap bag. But the standout detail was the classic Chanel tweed jacket — not worn, but nonchalantly tossed over the bag. As if to say that in this new phase of the brand, the classics remain classics, but comfort gets its say too. Chanel for every day, every day for Chanel.

4. Pops of red

More than a signature of the Maison itself, this is an interesting take on an underground trend that has emerged this winter: bright red accents (usually in accessories or small details) flashing from otherwise dark or neutral palettes. There were plenty here: gloves, fur muffs, shoes, and fabric belts wrapped around the hips.

Excluding the looks where red was the dominant color (there were several, including a jewel-encrusted dress that faded from red to white in a delicate gradient), red also appeared as clothing pieces within darker looks: a burgundy shirt, a turtleneck peeking out from a leather trench, and of course a shiny sequined dress almost engulfed by lush black fur.

5. In the name of Babe Paley

If we saw eccentric looks and also a new, more relaxed Chanel girl emerge in denim, Blazy also brought to the runway another kind of character — clearly inspired by the legendary Ladies Who Lunch, or Truman Capote’s famous “Swans,” and especially the iconic Babe Paley, whom one might have spotted at La Côte Basque or the El Morocco nightclub with Slim Keith in the glorious 1960s.

Babe Paley was a personal friend of Coco Chanel in the 1950s, and when she died in 1978, no fewer than 78 Chanel suits were found in her wardrobe — not to mention the handbags (her favorite was the 2.55, which she owned in dozens of collector versions) and rivers of jewelry. A series of lively, mischievous, and tremendously chic looks evoked that very 1960s New York socialite spirit.

Takeaways

The Chanel Métiers d’Art 2026 show in New York, Matthieu Blazy’s second collection for the house, marks a decisive step forward and brings back the playful, camp irony that had faded in recent years.

Blazy revives the pop and self-ironic spirit of the Lagerfeld era with leopard prints, cartoon details, “I Love New York” T-shirts paired with tweed, feather boas and Superman references, proving that Chanel can be both extremely elevated and fun.

The collection blurs gender boundaries without launching a dedicated menswear line: pieces can be worn by men (A$AP Rocky is the new ambassador) and androgynous model Yura Romaniuk (he/him pronouns) walks the runway, reinforcing the maison’s gender-fluid approach.

A strong casual and everyday soul emerges through luxuriously treated denim and relaxed styling; the opening look, with the tweed jacket casually tossed over the bag, signals that comfort is now part of Chanel’s vocabulary.

Several looks pay homage to the 1960s style of Truman Capote’s “Swans,” especially Babe Paley, Coco Chanel’s personal friend, reviving the mischievous and ultra-chic elegance of New York’s high-society women.