If you look beyond the gilt buttons, the clatter of faux pearls, and the double-C logos, the quilted chain bags, and the camellias, all of which are instantly recognisable Chanel signatures, what you will find is history. For Chanel is a historic couture house, as ploddingly unsexy as history is, Chanel’s history makes it the very definition of couture; and, since haute couture is that definitively Parisian art, Chanel is definitively Parisian, a symbol of the fashion world.

Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture

For this collection, Virginie Viard takes a leap into the world of ballet and dance. And while the late polyglot Karl Lagerfeld, whom Viard succeeded in 2019, might have plunged into the esoteric and academic references in his creations for Chanel, you can count on Viard to give a quick sketch version of the ballet theme, a youthful Tiktok take if you will. 

Viard takes the stuffiness out of couture (and indeed the idea of ballet) by suspending us in softness and light and a sense of the active body; The simple designs unburdened by too many ideas, the fluffiness of the inevitable tulle tutus, drifts of cobwebby chiffon, dreamy Ladurée pastels, and a Pierrot ruff or two, was enough to evoke the eternal dance—anchored by white leotard-leggings on every leggy look. In show notes, Viard cites the history of Chanel for this inspiration: “Dance is an important theme at Chanel. The House is close to its institutions, to its choreographers and dancers, and we create costumes for the ballet.” 

This season, the collection turned out neat Chanel jackets of various lengths from micro-crop, to bolero to coatdress; skirt suits, some with capes, came with mini to knee lengths; slip dresses and halter dresses of LBD variety (Coco Chanel created the little black dress after all, and in every collection, iterations of the LBD pop up), a few standing out in girlish baby-doll shapes; there were some draped tops and blouson jackets. All came shrouded in wisps of chiffon, a sheer panel here, and transparent “pocket” there—these take maniacal minute work to make so perfectly neat, and are not as generally appreciated as should be. Viard’s own confident signature was present in a few of her beloved onesies, a lowered waist, and the exposed midriff—her take on “sexy.”  

The simplicity and familiarity of the designs, as minimalist as haute couture can be considered minimalist, only serves to focus on the incredible artisanal savoir faire that Chanel commandeers. God is indeed in the details: The minute cherry blossoms drifting over a bustier top, with a matching trim; lace so fine as to be a floral cloud; tweed so refined and alive with texture and pattern, embroidery and beading astonishingly intricate—these told the whole story of couture. Viard knew that with such jewels of fabrications, her designs didn’t need Chanel’s usual load of accessories: The handwork alone was dazzling enough. 

This focus on the skill of the human hand once-again highlights Chanel’s brand values: throughout its history, the maison has collaborated closely with artisans whose exceptional skills have been honed and inherited over many decades. By acquiring and investing in houses of traditional expertise, Chanel, more than just setting out to use these crafts in its designs, is safeguarding this uniquely French cultural heritage, preserving and developing savoir faire for future generations.

Chanel is Chanel because it sets up grand and lofty goals for itself.

Spring/Summer 2024 Ready-To-Wear

Viard presented her best ready-to-wear collection to date, in an ode to liberty and to movement—“active” has become very much Viard’s overarching theme, perhaps taking on Coco Chanel’s role as pioneer of women’s liberation. Don’t forget that Coco Chanel is credited with creating the “modern woman” by redefining women’s fashion with looser flapper waistlines, shorter hems, and pants, moving women away from the prison of boned corsets towards sailor shirts and wide-leg pants. 

This season, Viard restates this mission in a relaxed and insouciant style (again!) with rather lovely tweed items (caftans, capes, pajama pants and jackets) in clear petal colours; denim jeans and tunic tops had a relaxed Riviera air; exhilarating colour, and a profusion of geometric patterns, contrasting asymmetries, patchworks, checks and stripes give a bongo-bongo rhythm. It’s a study in sophistication contrasted against informality, the traditional tweed throughout the collection, contrasted against sportswear shapes and lace, for instance. The Massaro-made footwear told half the story, with a thong sandal, and then a slingback flat, and ballet shoes that were beyond must-have. 

“Collection after collection, my mission is to find new ways to tell Chanel’s most beautiful stories,” said Viard of the inspiration behind this collection. She has reached back into the annals of Chanel to arrive at the life of the high-born avant-garde artist Marie-Laure de Noailles, Coco Chanel’s female friend. It is hardly surprising that Viard would find inspiration in de Noailles—Viard herself is a high-born haute bourgeois, despite looking like a weathered hippie. Aside from the air of ease and some nautical-striped knitwear, the collection was less vintage Riviera postcard, then pure pop—you can imagine Blackpink’s Jennie modeling the looks, bringing to it a breath of fresh air in all her unadulterated youth and modernity. 

For Chanel has always been a pioneer of modernity, spearheading trends in luxury and beauty for more than 100 years. Its legacy is unmovably solid and its story a legend. Books on Chanel stack up on groaning shelves. Not only was its founder Chanel a fashion icon, but so was Karl Lagerfeld, who had come to the house of Chanel in 1983, aged 50, and stayed for 36 years. Lagerfeld, was at Chanel longer than Coco Chanel herself, and he made Chanel what it is today, a luxury behemoth that can’t be moved.

In the end, what makes Chanel a legendary couture house is its creativity, married to the highest quality materials, crafted with great attention to detail and precision, ensuring that each Chanel piece is immaculately made. Chanel’s creativity takes form by a continuous dialogue between the in-house creators, such as Viard or Lagerfeld, and highly skilled craft practitioners working with a range of traditional ateliers. Any study of Chanel fashions must include the Maisons d’Art, workshops practicing traditional crafts such as embroidery, millinery, and shoemaking. 

To name but a few: the embroiderers, Maison Lesage, which became part of the House of Chanel in 2002, is known and recognized worldwide as the guardian of embroidery savoir faire; Maison Lemarie handcrafts feathers and flowers; Maison Lognon makes supple and delicate pleats on all manner of fabric; Goosens are goldsmith and produce those famous Double-C buttons and chains; and A.C.T. 3 produce Chanel’s beautiful signature tweeds. 

It may have taken one atypical woman, Mademoiselle Chanel, to open a shop in 1909, but it takes a village (if that village were Paris!) to propel the couture house into a household name and a byword for fashion in the world today.