BOF
By
Robert Williams
03 December 2025
Chanel Takes the Subway
There’s a lot to like about Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel. The way material innovation, craftsmanship, design and image-making are so closely intertwined, and work together to tell a story. The way he uses fashion to create a panoply of identifiable characters without veering into costume. The way his first two shows have teased out an emotional response rather than bludgeoning us with a pre-ordained vibe. He and his team really emphasise process, resulting in clothes that leave me wanting to know more. What was that technique, that material? How did they arrive at this palette, those prints?
Blazy’s sophomore collection shown Tuesday in New York — his first annual Métiers d’Art outing — channeled the expertise of Chanel-owned suppliers like Lesage and Lemarié to convey a point of view about the city, its history and iconography, and the various ways in which its women dress and live.
It avoided falling into a heavy-handed exercise about technique (with correspondingly heavy-looking clothes, as has sometimes been the case for this collection).
The beaded pinstripes on Alex Consani’s zoot suit were a perfect example. I also liked the leopard dress with the chunky buttoned-on straps; the abstract floral jacket in white, yellow and dark brown; the tiered black gown with the swinging tassels. The jeans and white-T-shirt combo underneath the long embroidered vest was a bit jolting amidst the faux furs and fascinators (not to mention in the context of a Chanel runway show), but it helped to land the “slice of life” staging. Chanel committed to the bit — that model was barely wearing makeup, and had her hair down loose like many a busy city girl.
Chanel Métiers d’Art 2026. (Chanel)
With so many things to like about what Blazy’s Chanel is, I’m struggling to relate to detractors who seem to be getting hung up on what it’s not.
No, his first two shows are not driving fashion forward with a clear, prescriptive silhouette.
I can see how these loose, eclectic collages of designs might feel like a drastic retreat from the more focused, authoritative glamour of years past.
But a) Rome wasn’t built in a day,
b) Chanel needed to loosen up and
c)
Blazy’s unpredictable streak —
random even, in the case of that “Bowie and his dogs” look — is giving people a reason to keep a close eye on the brand.
Some of the ensembles may seem a bit out there to Chanel’s core customers. But from a commercial standpoint, the bags in this collection felt like a breakthrough: softer, bigger, more lived-in. The brand’s hit handbags have previously been ultra-classic designs (like Flap and 2.55) or expensive seasonal novelty bags aimed at Chanel superfans. Attempts at commuter styles like the Deauville shopper were usually a bit sad. This lineup of practical yet desirable totes could provide a new axis for growth. (New brand ambassador A$AP Rocky wore one on the Gotham Awards red carpet last night — a hint at how Chanel might cash in on its growing line-up of male spokespeople without launching “menswear,” per se.)
I was initially surprised Chanel would stage its show in the actual subway instead of re-creating one as a set — channeling Karl-era theatricality — or simply choosing a more conventionally glamorous backdrop.
But opting for such a raw, democratic setting for its pinnacle expression, the runway show, made for a strong statement after several years of being criticised by consumers for being too out of touch. The brand knows how to do fantasy; re-enchanting the reality of being a Chanel client is where it needed work.
I still haven’t sorted out the strategy behind the brand’s rollout of the show online, however. Rather than streaming live, the brand staged two shows for clients and press hours before releasing the official video on its website — creating a vacuum that allowed amateur photography to drive the narrative. As of Wednesday evening, the brand has still posted only one video teaser on its own Instagram: no stills, no additional clips.
Blazy’s clothes are not the easiest to capture in a photograph — this isn’t a brand where it makes sense to let the audience do the talking.