Article Written by Lili Jones

Striking a balance between paying homage to the allure of Chanel while remaining faithful to the truth of haute couture, the Chanel Spring-Summer exhibition was a masterclass in both imagination and grace. It reflected how you wish the world would spin: on an axis of passion and delicacy. Though very different to shows of the past, the house of Chanel managed to navigate the difficulties of Covid-19 restrictions by creating an intimate affair with a surplus of beauty and elegance.

The Most Stylish Wedding of the Season:

Despite being shot in a large, cavernous and (arguably) industrial space, the floral garlands and petals on the floor soften the runway while simultaneously being reminiscent of Eden: an urban garden if you will.

The show’s film, directed by Anton Corbijn, opens in monochrome as the models descended the staircase, much like a bridal party. In fact, the whole show largely resembled an intimate (and exceedingly stylish) family wedding with guests including Caroline de Maigret, Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Casiraghi, Vanessa Paradis, Alma Jodorowsky, Lily-Rose Depp, Izïa Higelin, Blesnya Minher and Joana Preiss.

The floral headbands chosen are also synonymous with a bridal headdress, adding to the family wedding feel. As each model finished their walk, they took a seat in the audience: physically becoming the wedding guests before the Chanel bride was unveiled, riding in on a horse for their aisle walk before the screen returned to monochrome.

Haute Couture:

As is the mandate of haute couture, each garment must be made entirely by hand such that each stitch, sequin and adornment is placed meticulously, bead by bead. It is the labour intensity of production that necessitates a passion in order to transform inanimate cloth into wearable, dynamic art. It is this that makes haute couture so special and desired as there is an increased intimacy between designer, seamstress and model.

The Legacy of Chanel:

Once the individual walks begin and the film moves into colour, the initial outfits remain in a largely greyscale pallet with pops of colour in each ensemble (as is typical of Chanel). Furthermore, the balance of colour mimics the proportionality of each silhouette and the harmony created according to the designer’s wishes. It is this sense of not too much but just enough, the capturing of the goldilocks ratio within fashion, that makes the house of Chanel so distinctive.

It was after visiting Scotland with the Duke of Westminster that Gabrielle Chanel first encountered the material that would go on to become a staple of her house: tweed. The reimagining of this material featured heavily in the show as it was juxtaposed against the more delicate fabrics used, such as tulle, to create a contrast between stereotypically masculine and feminine elements.

Tweed is the structural underpinning of any Chanel collection and the highest expression of this is the signature Chanel jacket. It embodies the ideals of minimalism in a move towards modernity, encompassing Chanel’s original vision of freeing female movement, to remove restricting costumes. The jacket was a seminal piece, mixing masculine and feminine features to produce something beautiful and exciting: it was liberation itself. 60 years after its creation, the Chanel Jacket is still a cornerstone of contemporary fashion and remains essential in any fashionistas closet. Highlighted beautifully in this showcase, the Chanel jacket provides the template for a fashion metamorphosis, of renewed and daring creation. It was Karl Lagerfeld who began playing with the skeleton of this piece and reimagining it for a new era and Virginie Viard has continued this legacy.

Roundtable Conversation with Caroline de Maigret

A review of the collection is also given by the guests of the house as they sit around a table adorned with candles and macaroons, discussing the privileged glimpse they received in the very select audience. Depicted much like a table at a wedding, the warmth and high esteem each hold Virginie Viard in becomes clear. Her energy and vison are clearly translated into the collection and the show itself serves to animate the clothing with a youthful and hopeful spirit.

The house of Chanel is more like a home for modernity and fashion and this Spring- Summer showcase highlighted how the people within the house, the legacies left by Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, combined with the current vison of Virginie Viard, are the seams of the establishment. Woven together through time and a commitment to excellence, the admiration the panel has for Chanel is self-evident and after watching the show myself, I can understand why.

Animated, lively, and as always graceful: A quick look at Chanel’s 2021 Spring-Summer Haute Couture Collection