For its spring/summer 2025 collection, Chanel makes a triumphant return to its iconic home at the Grand Palais. This season's show, curated by the brand’s Creation Studio, featured a performance by Riley Keough, who caught the eyes of the audience just as much as the collection.
The show took on heightened significance in the wake of the recent announcement that Virginie Viard, who succeeded Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, was stepping down. The fashion world buzzed with speculation about who would next fill this prestigious role. However, despite the uncertainty surrounding leadership, the show succeeded at drawing attention away from speculation about the future.
The collection itself was a masterclass in balancing Chanel’s timeless codes with a sense of liberation. The in-house team made the most of the glass roof to represent the theme of the season, flying up in the air. "The collection is a tribute to women who freed themselves from the cumbersome gaze of society, just like Gabrielle Chanel," the brand stated. "This flight is dedicated to them." Feather details, a clear nod to the avian theme, were woven into black satin shirt dresses and light grey silk blouses, while sheer panels and feather prints gave the collection an airy, ethereal quality. The house’s signature tweeds were reinvented with playful transparency and ornate hardware, grounding the collection in Chanel’s history while allowing room for fresh interpretations.
Aviator jackets and sleek flight suits referenced the spirit of 1920s uniforms, further evoking a sense of vintage charm. Chanel’s iconic pastels, in tweed suits and knitted black skirts, contrasted with these daring looks, paying tribute to the Maison’s elegance. As always, the show was as much about the setting as the clothes themselves. Chanel’s return to the Grand Palais, its home for nearly two decades, underscored the brand’s deep connection to Parisian culture. This architectural marvel added a sense of grandeur and timelessness, as if Chanel declared its intent to remain a dominant force in fashion, regardless of leadership changes.
In a final act of the show, Riley Keough performed a rendition of When Doves Cry by Prince in a striking black tweed jumpsuit adorned with a chiffon train balancing on a giant open bird cage, embodying the collection's spirit of flight and freedom. It was a fitting end to a show that soared above industry speculation, reaffirming that Chanel, while in transition, was firmly in control of its own narrative.
