We’ll be the first to admit that there are things we never miss about fashion week: frantically searching for a bathroom between shows; midnight deadlines; the rigid and never-ending route; the guilt associated with being annoyed, overworked and tired while being a part of such a big industry. But one thing we miss is the fanfare of the Chanel show. While the opulence of a catwalk now seems obnoxious in times of crisis and isolation, there is magic in those memories, like being a kid at a carnival (or an adult at the 2008 Chanel show, with a merry-go-round). For now, we’ve lost the rocket shows, covered beaches, and Gigi Hadid runway crashers, but there’s still a lot to say about Chanel’s fall-winter collection.
Virtual shows, at the very least, offer more attachment and contextualized storytelling than a track ever could. For artistic director Virginie Viard, this allowed her to analyze the Karl Lagerfeld world and the heyday of Chanel. “I assumed the models putting on a show, going from room to room, passing each other on stairs, stacking their coats in the locker room and going up to the another floor to change,” said she in collection notes. “I thought of the shows Karl was telling me about back then, earlier, when models dressed and put on makeup themselves.”
Chanel’s clothing has always been good and strong, but without the luxurious backdrop, you can target on the details. For winter, it’s a combine of moody tweeds, après ski overalls layered over delicate lace tops, and metallic party dresses dressed in shaggy boots but accessorized with costumed garter belts. They invite you to your next winter vacation in the French Alps, because what is Chanel if not a distant fantasy? Just a little more portable than the previous collections.
And some things don’t change at all, like Chanel’s animated front row. This time in portrait mode, Blackpink’s Jennie, model Blesnya Minher and Belgian singer Angele were all in attendance, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh.
As the world gets vaccinated and we move closer to a return to real life, we begin to feel the life force of fashion returning. For now, the quiet power of Chanel’s fall-winter collection remembers that blurry feeling, and we’re finally allowing ourselves to get thrilled for next season. It will be spring after all.
