Chanel S/S 2026 Paris

[Nimsay]

I think this dress perfectly captures the vision - it’s so effortlessly draped yet exquisitely defines the body. There’s none of that Dior-like tension, just pure drape and ease. It feels so quintessentially Chanel to me.

Best in the show for sure.

 

[Caffeine]

oh, interesting thought? Do any specific shows besides Chanel come to mind?

YSL was prob one of my fav shows this season but the bows and leather made me think back to fw06 by Pilati and definitely AV’s take is more of a costume while Pilatis was more professional and wearable. Even when there’s talk of “sexy” im always like, would i rather be a little minx for hubby in a cute office look or AV’s giant hazmat suit trench dress? but i guess there’s the “taking the big coat off” style of seduction.

but anywaysss i rlly am curious what shows inspired this insight

Demna's shows in general feature these looks...even some phoebe's work. But in general, these brands have their commercial lines, so you can always find basics there. Chanel's commercial approach with RTW was always different in that it produces pretty much everything presented on the runway, so unless they want to make the runway different from their commercial offerings ("act I"), in a collection like this, you won't find a jacket that works in a business setting.

I was thinking about this in the context of Jil Sander. It was a very different vision.

 

[Creative]

I saw the pictures again. Most of it is horrible. The more I look at it the worse it looks.

JW pieces are way way way better than this.

 

[Lola701]

Demna's shows in general feature these looks...even some phoebe's work. But in general, these brands have their commercial lines, so you can always find basics there. Chanel's commercial approach with RTW was always different in that it produces pretty much everything presented on the runway, so unless they want to make the runway different from their commercial offerings ("act I"), in a collection like this, you won't find a jacket that works in a business setting.

I was thinking about this in the context of Jil Sander. It was a very different vision.

Apparently, he may introduce a permanent collection, something Chanel doesn’t have (they only have permanent bags and shoes).
It was not confirmed though.

But yes they produce everything in various capacities though. The heavily embroidered or feathers pièces were either kept in the salons or produced only through pre-orders by the top clients.

But what has always been great with Chanel was the déclinaisons. What was presented as a suit on the runway could have a déclinaison as a coat or a dress. I’m curious to see how they will extend this collection.
I’m really into the tweed pantsuits in the beginning.
I’m waiting to see how it’s going to be reflected on the prices too.

 

[Avonlea]

She looks good. A welcome change after the Dior clown wear parade we witnessed.

 

[fruitdots]

I‘d like to think it was more Jil Sander, considering they both had quite a few biographic similarities as female entrepreneurs, which also informed their approach to design as well as the women they designed for.

I don‘t know how singular Phoebe Philo‘s point of view can be seen once we take into consideration that her Chloé felt like something drastically different - To me, her take on 'female, minimalist design' is less purposeful and utilitarian, than it is a fashion statement fit for the Zeitgeist her Celine and own label exist(ed) in, no?

To be fair, Jil Sander is very much a designer of the late-20th century, rather than the 21st. Of course she returned to her label in the early 2000s, but that was brief (thanks to Patrizio Bertelli). Her real period of influence is in the late-80s/early-90s, and as Grets has pointed out, we're now in a period (crisis?) of post-minimalism—broadly speaking.

I do see Sander in Phoebe Philo's work, but if I'm being critical, I think her role in what we're now calling "quiet luxury" has involved something of a perversion of the ethos of 80s/90s minimalism. And her work, especially at Celine, is/was far more invested in colour and pattern than any of the notable minimalists. I'd wager that the Celine blouse worn by Kanye at Coachella (2011) is one of her most iconic garments, and there it's really a matter of her skill as a colourist (one of her greatest strengths, and sadly not often on display at her own label).

 

[Nimsay]

I mean, Postmodernism is completely over - and with it, all the clothes that came out of that way of thinking are too.

 

[style_expert]

I can’t help but wonder what Chanel under Phoebe would have looked like — and to what extent they actually tried to pursue her for the role. The mere fact of having a female designer back at the house of Chanel would have been a story they could spin for ages, not to mention how beloved she is within the industry.

When people point out that there are some Phoebe elements in this Blazy Chanel collection — yes, he did work under her for a time (though not very long) — I don’t find it surprising that he’s at least partly inspired by the aesthetic she established at Celine, and to which he also contributed to some extent.

That said, I think Chanel can be extremely pleased with this debut collection. Overall, it seems to top most lists of both the best debuts and best shows of the season so far (I’m talking BOF, Vogue, and the general press). The timing — being the last big show of the season — was fortunate, as was the steady build-up without any unnecessary red-carpet previews. The Awar moment helped too, turning it into a cheerful, uplifting story. In terms of press and social media impact, they clearly outshined Dior, which I think was their main competition.

We’ll see what they do with this momentum. Of course, Chanel isn’t dependent on wholesale accounts, but in the end, the new direction has to translate across all their boutiques worldwide.
The placement of the dress on Ayo works — in fact, it looks better on her than on the runway model, which I find rather rare.