Chanel SS26: Matthieu Blazy brings movement, modernity and magic to the maison

Last night, Paris Fashion Week served as a stage for one of he most highly anticipated debuts of not only the season, but the decade: Matthieu Blazy for Chanel.

Blazy’s appointment as Chanel’s Artistic Director in December 2024 marked a historic moment for the house - the first external hire since Karl Lagerfeld took over in 1983. His selection followed months of speculation after Virginie Viard’s quiet departure in June 2024. In a joint statement, Chanel’s Global Executive Chairman Alain Wertheimer and CEO Leena Nair described Blazy as "one of the most gifted designers of his generation," expressing confidence that he would "write a new page in Chanel’s creation."

It was a weighty inheritance, but Matthieu Blazy’s SS26 debut for Chanel was nothing short of cinematic. Under the Grand Palais’s vaulted ceiling, the runway was transformed into a cosmic stage: planets hovered overhead as models moved through the dreamlike scape. Blazy said "I love everything that is above: the sky, the moon, I believe in the stars," a sentiment echoed in the cosmic set.

The soundtrack ranged from Paula Cole’s I Don’t Want to Wait to The Corrs’ Runaway, underscoring Blazy’s intention: to create something universal but rooted in the celestial, a theme plucked from Mamoiselle Chanel's archive.

From the get go, we see Blazy balance between classic codes and liberated reinterpretation. The designer leaned into Chanel’s hallmark elements - think tweed, camellias, chain detailing - but reconfigured them with a softer whimsy.

A tweed jacket appeared with slashed waists and relocated buttons as camellias bloomed in delicate embroideries across soft knits.

Accessories, Chanel's money maker, held their own. Just look to the 2.55 bag, for example. Blazy’s version appeared inherited, with open flaps and exposed seams that suggested it had been passed down over generations.

Meanwhile, feather headpieces, sculptural clutches and delicate Chanel-stamped chains punctuated the more relaxed silhouettes. Towards the end of the show, evening looks held more theatricality in the form of liquid fabrics and fluid gowns.

Backstage, Blazy reflected on Chanel’s legacy: "We tend to forget because the myth of Chanel makes her a very serious woman. I found a picture of her with a flamenco dress, having fun. She decided for herself what she could be. The good thing with the codes of Chanel is that you can also reduce them; they still look like Chanel." The collection felt quietly recalibrated from the inside out, with that wink of flamenco fun surfacing in the final gown.

The crowd responded with excitement and praise as Chanel entered this new era. On social media, one commented "Chanel is back!" while another user noted, "I don’t know if Chanel customers will spend that kind of money on this. I expected more couture." Still, the consensus from buyers and insiders tilted positive.

Simon Longland, Buying Director, Fashion at Harrods, said: "He showed complete respect for the house, its codes and its ateliers, while at the same time shifting the look and feel of Chanel into a new chapter.

"With this collection, Blazy has achieved what felt almost impossible: creating a vision that will draw in a legion of new admirers, while remaining deeply resonant with Chanel’s loyal clientele. A new beginning, perfectly staged and brilliantly realised."

Fashion Critic Suzy Menkes added: "A star is born at Chanel, where designer Matthieu Blazy had a hit so powerful that those in the fashion world hardly noticed that the French government was collapsing.
Who cared when a new designer was re-interpreting how to dress for the next generation?

"Blazy, speaking after the much-applauded show, explained that much of his own inspiration came from his knowledge of Gabriel Chanel and how she created clothes in the spirit of the men she loved. Blazy borrowed that idea of playing with social class and of creating deliberately deflated looks. That included evening dresses, which often looked like nature run wild. Blazy made a deliciously light show of deep and original thought. The result was striking, appealing and original. Who could ask for anything more?"

Blazy's debut wasn't a reinvention but a reincarnation - an evolution of a storied Parisian maison.

(Cover image credit: PA Media)