By Windy Aulia - published
Matthieu Blazy’s debut haute couture collection for Chanel marked one of the most significant fashion moments of the season, not only because it introduced a new creative voice to one of the most storied houses in fashion history, but because it did so with restraint, sensitivity, and poetic confidence. Presented at the Grand Palais during the recent Paris Haute Couture Week, the collection felt less like a dramatic overhaul and more like a thoughtful recalibration of Chanel’s distinct dictionary underlined by the power of emotion, movement, and romantic notion.
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As only the fourth designer to lead Chanel couture, following Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Virginie Viard, Blazy faced the daunting task of honouring an immense legacy while asserting his own point of view. Rather than chasing grand gestures, he chose subtlety, allowing craftsmanship and narrative to quietly command attention.
The show’s setting established the tone immediately. The Grand Palais was transformed into an enchanted woodland, complete with oversized pastel mushrooms and softly draping trees, evoking a dreamlike landscape that felt whimsical rather than theatrical. This natural, almost fairytale-like environment underscored the collection’s central themes of transformation and freedom, suggesting a couture world unburdened by rigidity.
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That sense of lightness carried directly into the clothes themselves. Blazy approached couture not as a vehicle for excess, but as an opportunity to explore how garments move, breathe, and live on the body. “This is clothing that is not just made for the body; it is also made for the soul. It is for the wearer to bring their own story. And as this is Haute Couture, it is truly about the individual rather than the group,” he shared exclusively with Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore.
As the great Gabrielle Chanel once said, “I work directly on the body. I draw inspiration from my models, not from my drawings. I work with a pair of scissors and lots of pins,” Blazy created his Haute Couture debut collection for the House by approaching it with his own sleight of hands. Fabrics floated rather than structured, and silhouettes were designed to follow the wearer instead of containing them. And Chanel’s most recognisable codes were present throughout the collection, but reinterpreted with a delicacy that made them feel newly alive. Tweed appeared softened and almost weightless, rendered in gauzy iterations that blurred the line between tailoring and transparency. The iconic Chanel suit was reimagined in silk mousseline, its traditional authority replaced by fluidity and ease. Little black dresses, long a symbol of the House’s modernity, were revisited in multiple forms, from pared-back, minimalist silhouettes to versions adorned with subtle jewelled brooches, reinforcing the idea that simplicity remains one of Chanel’s most radical gestures.
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Blazy’s technical mastery was particularly evident in his use of trompe l’œil, a technique he has become known for. Sheer silk garments mimicked everyday staples. From tank tops to denim trousers, Blazy transformed the familiar into something ethereal and couture-specific—something that he had done before at his previous posting. However, this time around, these visual illusions were not novelty moments but quiet demonstrations of skill, reminding the audience that couture’s power often lies in precision rather than opulence.
Blazy likened each of the looks that he chose for his haute couture debut as birds—the avian motifs expressed not through literal feathers but through movement, texture, and shape. Pleating and embroidery suggested wings in motion, while silhouettes echoed the natural curves and lightness of birds in flight, reinforcing themes of liberation and evolution.
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Bird on a mushroom
I saw the beauty at once
Then gone, flown away
(Anonymous Haiku)
Blazy stated in the show notes that the collection started off with an anonymous haiku. And as he spoke about the idea of light, flight and freedom, the collection became his own metamorphosis and impending couture journey. “These are clothes that are as much about the wearer as the designer. It’s the clothes worn that give them a true story; their own story and an emotional resonance, giving women a canvas to tell their own story,” shared Blazy.
Perhaps the most emotionally resonant aspect of Blazy’s debut was its emphasis on personal storytelling. Many garments incorporated intimate details chosen by the models themselves—love letters, dates, small symbolic objects—delicately embroidered or hidden within linings and pockets by Chanel’s ateliers. These elements transformed the clothes into private keepsakes, blurring the boundary between fashion and memory and reaffirming the idea that couture should serve the individual woman, not just the spectacle of the runway.
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Blazy’s couture debut showcased a strong and unique view on fashion, replete with his signature quiet confidence, romantic gestures and modern sensitivity. While its softness sparked discussion among those accustomed to more overt displays of couture grandeur, this collection ultimately felt like a statement of intent. It did not seek to dominate or overwhelm; instead, it proposed a future for the house rooted in emotion, craftsmanship, and thoughtful reinvention. In doing so, it signalled a poetic and promising new era—one where Chanel’s heritage is not preserved in glass, but allowed to move freely into the present.