Mathieu Blazy Soars High with the Chanel SS27 Collection Last night, optimism was palpable
There is a good mood surrounding Chanel that has been building for several months now. Can we call it a glow-up? We find it, first of all and unexpectedly, in interviews with the brand's managers, whose tone is satisfied and content even in written form. We find it in articles dedicated to Mathieu Blazy, which describe him as cheerful and stimulated as a child in a chocolate shop. We find it in the stores too, teeming with customers, and in the show audiences, where we see clients wearing fresh-from-boutique jackets posing in their coordinated outfits. The enthusiasm is an avalanche: the further it advances, the wider it spreads, until it becomes overwhelming. Yesterday, at the Chanel SS27 show, this enthusiasm reached a new boiling point, especially when Britney Spears' Gimme More played.
Beyond the stunning set, decorated with a flock of birds in flight, the thing that immediately caught the eye while watching the show was the greater ease displayed by Blazy. The heavier, more structured constructions of previous collections appeared lightened here, the lines were softer, and Blazy's hand seemed lighter without being any less decisive. Looking at several of the looks, it seems reasonable to infer that the customer base has broadened over the past twelve months (and indeed it has, according to more than one account), skewing younger.
The first collections introduced a new concept of ornamentation, a renewed pragmatism around the product that blended a taste for intricate artisanal detail with a sense of exuberance, even humor. This sensibility had extended across the entire wardrobe without distinction, creating proposals that were very rich but also quite dense on a design level too: robust fabrics, heavily layered looks, a certain structural solidity that made everything feel playful yet fairly mature. With yesterday's show, that very pure artistic sensibility — highly conceptual in certain instances — became more agile, more tempered, shedding any harshness and reaching toward more relaxed volumes.
A particular highlight was the jackets, both as blazers and as the classic tweed jacket, whose line appeared subtly refreshed and whose construction was played with extensively. Especially admirable was the construction of their backs, never elementary but rather playful. There is a clear delight in the complexity of certain constructions, in the interplay of colors and the architecture of these pieces that cinch or shorten the torso, that carry with them decorations in vivid, popping colors, but also a degree of bon-ton opulence (especially toward the end of the show) that never feels overwrought. On the contrary, the introduction of tweed suits worn against the skin, greater transparency, and more knowing silhouettes has brought a refreshing breeze to the Chanel wardrobe.
As for the accessories, the opposing drums of total simplicity and extravagance were beaten in equal measure. On one side, several classic bags, very clean, including a new flap with a large dark metal logo; on the other, a series of bags that played with textures and materials (the tiger-print flap with blue tweed edges was to die for), pairing with the textures of the looks, along with a couple of minaudières that looked like jewels. The real showstoppers, however, were the shoes: following the success of the many two-tone styles from previous collections, the brand has truly gone all-in on the category, and the offering is nothing short of overflowing. The standouts, though, must be the aqua-colored ones with red embroidery (though identical styles in different colors were also on offer), the heels with a red-and-white "tiger-stripe" effect and a white leather toe, and those with a sequined toe cap.
Blazy is supremely gifted as a designer, and Chanel is a vast universe that bends willingly to his touch. Both are decidedly bringing out the best in each other. But beyond the various macro and micro excellences to be found throughout the collection, to return to what was said at the outset, it is precisely that sense of verve and almost effervescent joy felt around the brand — not only on a commercial level — that stands out most. Perhaps without even realizing it, this happy chapter in Chanel's story is reminding us how, elsewhere in fashion, this electricity is absent and things can seem altogether too serious. No matter: in the Grand Palais (and presumably on Rue Cambon too), all one feels is the exhilaration of flight.
