Chanel's Matthieu Blazy marks first year with bird-filled Paris show
Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy showed his spring 2027 collection Monday at Paris's Grand Palais, a year after his debut for the house. Birds hung over the runway, and knee-length skirts made a return. Paris Fashion Week wraps up Tuesday with Louis Vuitton.
Matthieu Blazy marked one year at Chanel with a show full of birds. The designer presented his spring 2027 women's collection Monday at the Grand Palais in Paris, AFP reported. Giant lit-up origami cranes hung over the runway. WWD counted 95 birds suspended in midflight.
It was the 42-year-old designer's third ready-to-wear collection for the French house. The front row included Pedro Pascal, Nicole Kidman, Dua Lipa and John Malkovich, AFP said. Kidman's voice, reading from Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" and "To the Lighthouse," played over the soundtrack, WWD reported. The show closed to Britney Spears' "Gimme More."
The clothes mixed old Chanel and new, and knee-length skirts came back, AFP said. WWD counted 83 looks, with many more formfitting shapes. That seemed to answer longtime fans frustrated by his boxy silhouettes. One new suit used stretchy tweed with an athletic feel, a nod to sportswear. "We all look at Nike," Blazy told WWD.
He also reached deep into the house archive, as models carried the 2.55, the quilted bag Gabrielle Chanel introduced in February 1955, WWD reported. The set took inspiration from a village in southern Italy.
The business behind the clothes is strong, and fashion watchers have dubbed the buzz "Blazymania," AFP said. Chanel's revenue rose about 16% in the first half of the year, according to Bloomberg figures cited by AFP.
Here's the backstory. Blazy joined Chanel from Bottega Veneta and showed his first Chanel collection a year ago. He took over a house long shaped by Karl Lagerfeld, who led it for more than three decades, and later by Virginie Viard. Each new Chanel designer faces the same test: keep the tweed and pearls, but make them feel new.
Other houses showed Monday too: Zimmermann presented its collection, and Gabriela Hearst dedicated hers to Afghan women, AFP reported.
What's next: Paris Fashion Week ends Tuesday with shows from Litkovska, Situationist and Louis Vuitton. Spring 2027 clothes reach stores early next year.
What we know: Blazy showed 83 looks at the Grand Palais under a flock of suspended birds.
What we don't: How buyers and longtime clients will respond once the clothes reach stores.
Where outlets agree AFP and WWD both report Blazy showed his spring 2027 collection at the Grand Palais beneath suspended birds, with Nicole Kidman among the guests.
Where they differ AFP reports frenzied demand dubbed Blazymania, while WWD notes some longtime Chanel clients had found his early silhouettes too boxy.