We were all hoping for the best, and the best happened. The expectation has been building up ever since the first announcement of Matthieu Blazy taking the leadership of the legendary French maison and did nothing but increase during these fashion week days, where debut after debut we saw how most of the final positions in the musical chairs game were the right ones after all. The man sitting in the most desired spot, in the throne, to call it so, had the responsibility of not only starting a new journey, carrying with him the weight of a name and a history as heavy as it can get, but also reigniting the love in our hearts that had frankly gotten cold during these past years. Tuning in at 8:30 on the dot and seeing the bright galaxy that was contained within the crystal structure of the Grand Palais, an emotion we haven't felt for a while reappeared, and so did the certainty that it was here to stay.
Happy Chanel Day! It feels good to say this. The full moon was shining bright last night, but just like in a dream, there were not one but two moons lighting up our eyes, the one in the sky and the one on the land, brought to us by Matthieu Blazy, alongside the planets, the universe and the stars. Quite a romantic gesture, to say the least, and that's a good adjective to describe what happened during the twenty minutes of his debut as creative director of the house. Romance filled the air; there was romance in every look, in every flower, in the spontaneous smile with which Awar Odhiang carried the final look, in her tight hug with Blazy and in the standing ovation he was receiving meanwhile. This is what happens when things are made with love; they are received with an equal sentiment.
Upon his debut, there were expectations and doubts, not on if he was going to be capable of taking such a role—we knew he could—but on how he was going to do it. After a legendary run at Bottega, where joy, fun and colour were spread season after season, he seemed to be the right man for the job of rekindling the spark of life and youth in a house that was becoming too black and white. With a fire soundtrack, an out-of-the-world scenography, reminiscent of what Karl used to do each season, and all eyes on him, he delivered the show we were hoping for. The collection carried the energy, the codes and the symbols of decades of history, reimagined, reshaped and renewed for the minds and the women of the present, the ones who every day are building a new legacy that, equally, will be as everlasting as the one of Chanel.
With such a vast and rich archive of a house where materiality is one of the most important elements, Blazy had a playground to keep on his exploration of fabrics, textures and their capabilities and take it to all-time highs, and so he did. The tweeds, the knits, the silks—none were new, but the way they were treated was. Not only in its manipulation, creating fringes, ruffles, flowers and camellias out of it, but also in the way they were shaped to create a silhouette heavily inspired by the menswear proportions, but making it fit and complement perfectly the body of a woman. This allusion to men was also born out of the same romance that filled everything else in this show; it was brought by Matthieu to celebrate the deep emotion Gabrielle felt towards Boy Capel, her one true love.
With this in mind, no piece is tight or restricting; nothing feels like a constraint to the body but rather a soft hug. The hiplines of skirts fall lower than they should, but worry not because they are actually a dress; thick fur-looking pieces seem to weigh as much as a feather, and classic two-piece suits seem to be as comfortable as they are elegant. A form of love is granting freedom, and Blazy loves the Chanel women dearly. This is an important point that was evident in the show but that was particularly highlighted in the notes: the existence of not only one Chanel woman but rather of Chanel women. We won't have to adjust ourselves to the brand; the brand will gladly adjust itself to make you a part of it.
A master of accessories and complements, as seen in his legacy left at Bottega, every bag, every shoe and every hat was more desirable than the previous one. When seeing it all together, the worries linked to the more boring but important side of the industry faded away in an instant. Sometimes designers create beautiful pieces, but they struggle to place them within the context of reality. After all, fashion needs to sell, and money needs to be made; sadly, you can't live out of love and romance. But everything that was presented on the runway is desirable; everything has such character and such identity that they are the type of pieces you can't content with saving in a Pinterest board and calling it a day, but that you would rather acquire and hold in your hands no matter what it takes.
Rhythm Is a Dancer plays as the final carousel starts, Awar and Matthieu hug, and chills run down our bodies. For a moment imagine being him. We always talk about the work of designers and creatives as if they were machines meant to produce rather than human beings that try their best every time. After giving us a collection like that, with such a sight, the galaxy in front of you, everyone cheering your name and the certainty that history has just been made, we're sure last night was one of the best in his life.
