Since Matthieu Blazy’s inaugural show for the Metiers d’art collection, the world has been taken to a standstill. Plunging Chanel into a new era of modernity while still integrating from Coco Chanel’s heritage.
Blazy’s nod to New York, setting the scene of the show in a subway station. The visionary brought Chanel to life with different perspectives and personalities of outfits ranging from character to character.
The subway hinted slightly at the idea of bringing people from different walks of life together, no matter what class, occupation, or stature. It’s a kind of experience where you hit the unknown, and that’s what makes it fun and exciting.
The Chanel frenzy followed from Paris all the way to New York, where the house drew in lines of crowds on opening day. Pieces ranging from ballet flats and maxi flap bags, classic items but with a Blazy twist on them. Editors, stylists, and Chanel connoisseurs alike all stood in line hoping to catch a glimpse of the new rendition of animal print and tweed.
In Blazy’s new world of Chanel, he doesn’t just dress the body. He chooses to celebrate diversity by bringing everyone together by reminding them of an experience. Tradition meeting the unknown.
Furthermore, this new wave of Blazy doesn’t just showcase nostalgia, but the overarching idea of a continuous evolution. While keeping house codes intact ( tweed, camellias, quilted leather), he reimagines them through a lens that presents itself as distinct, urban, and primed for the runway. Drawing from the subway was not a coincidence, but rather a strategic tool, a metaphor showcasing intersectionality between ideas and people- exactly what New York City prides itself with. The collection reads in between the lines, in the spaces where individuality can coexist. The collection ultimately found its pulse.
The spirit of Coco Chanel is represented proudly here: her values of understated elegance and timelessness are shown but translated into a sense of modernity, continuing for a new generation with updated values.
