If our current life could be classified as any type of narrative genre, it would for sure not be a fairy tale. Far from the whimsy and magic we used to fill our minds with during our earliest years, the present shapes itself to look more like a pre-apocalyptic non-fiction than anything happy and full of colour. However, there's always something to hold on to, and creative endeavours are the clearest extension and continuation of our childhood imaginative selves, and in fashion we — sometimes — find the materialisation of worlds we thought could only belong to our dreams. For his sophomore couture collection at Chanel, Matthieu Blazy writes his own fantastic tale with Gabrielle as inspiration and the atelier’s petites mains as the fairies that make magic real.
Collections and creations like the ones we are used to seeing from Matthieu Blazy can only come from a mind that still allows itself to wander in an imagination that preserves a childlike sense of wonder and that is prepared to find and portray beauty from an innocent and almost naive point of view. From this genuine curiosity, the question of whether Gabrielle Chanel's life felt like a fairytale was born, along with the whole display of wonder-like looks we saw yesterday. Present not only in thought but also in a tangible way with a copy of Les Fées, Contes des Contes, extracted from Gabrielle’s library — and then carried by the opening model at the show — as guiding light, her universe was reinterpreted and expanded from a less formal and utilitarian motivation and more from an adventurous and playful place, not making it any less wearable.
The models looked like little fairies frolicking beneath the immense flowers and plants that decorated the show venue, flowers that had a strong presence in the looks, taking different shapes and forms, from big and pompous bouquets that adorned skirt bottoms and dress or vest collars to heavily present and very detailed appliqués to tiny and delicate buttons that could be almost considered jewellery. Jack and the Beanstalk was a big inspiration for the set and for the garments, with the idea of branches and vines sprouting from little seeds translating to pieces where seams and threads seem to be born from dangling bean-looking details. The garment typology stays under what is usual for the maison, but the uncountable embellishments and techniques put into them make them mesmerising.
As much as the feathery coats inspired by The Ugly Duckling or the raffia looks that take us to the world of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz have all our admiration, the smallest pieces, the shoes and the bags, took our breath away. The animal head buttons, the magpie and beans jewel bag, and the impressive artwork that the shoes with a gnome, a flower and a butterfly as heels are — there’s no doubt the craze to acquire any of Matthieu’s Chanel accessories will only keep on rising. The magical, the fun, and the beautiful can be compatible with the profitable, and everything Blazy touches is proof of that.
Aside from everything, what's just as important as the external appearance of the garments is Matthieu's preoccupation with the intimate relationship between the wearer and the piece they are wearing, which is not only a matter of looking good on the outside but also feeling connected and loved on the inside. That's why as much interest was placed in the inner part of the clothes as in the outer. The silk linings of jackets and coats are painted for the pure enjoyment of whoever is putting them on every morning, and the mere thought and act are more meaningful than the fact itself. It reflects the intention with which Matthieu designs, conveyed by the last quote on the press release: “Haute Couture at Chanel is not just a fairy tale; in essence it is for women, their realities and their adventures of the everyday.”
