For Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2024 haute couture fashion show at Paris Couture Week, the Maison reminded us that it takes every little detail seriously—even a button.
A giant one loomed over the show’s circular set, where models paraded buttoned tweed suits in white, pastel pink and pale lavender. Buttons even appeared on the dreamy, sheer cape worn by the Chanel bride who closed the show. And there was a button missing on the tweed jacket that Margaret Qualley opened the show in, as a nod to the “The Button”, the show’s teaser film also starring the actress.
Clearly, buttons are a big deal to Chanel, so much so that the French fashion brand produces unique designs for each collection. In the history of fashion, the button is a symbol of freedom; its invention made dressing up much easier for women, and turned that essential, everyday routine into an independent, one-woman act. That sense of ease and freedom can be found, time and time again, in the collections of Chanel’s designers, from founder Coco Chanel to Virginie Viard.
This season, Viard captures that sense of ease in a collection inspired by the beauty of dance—specifically, ballet, an art form that is deeply entwined with Chanel’s heritage. Viard’s collection borrows from the ballerina’s wardrobe, featuring tutus, leotards and snow-white tights. Floaty fabrics like tulle and chiffon, as well as the aforementioned colours, added an air of lightness of the collection.
But don’t be fooled by all the flou: just as ballet dancers perform with an effortless grace that belie their rigorous training, Chanel’s haute couture collection called for skilled hands and time-honoured techniques. Take a closer look and you will discover the sort of craftsmanship that can only be achieved at Chanel’s Parisian ateliers, from dazzling sequin embroidery to the Maison’s signature tweed embroidery.
Discover those details and more in these exclusive photos of Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2024 haute couture collection, shot by Singaporean photographer Su Shan Leong.
