With La Conversation – Part Two, Matthieu Blazy continues his quiet but persuasive dialogue with Gabrielle Chanel for A/W26, translating the house codes of Chanel into something lighter on its feet.
The collection unfolds almost like a metamorphosis, beginning in grounded pragmatism and slowly lifting into a more iridescent, dreamlike register. Day dissolves into night, structure softens, and the wardrobe begins to flutter.
Silhouette leads the conversation. Waistlines slip dramatically downward, lengthening the torso and lending the collection an insouciant, almost flapper-like languor. Rather than indulging in vintage pastiche, Blazy treats the drop waist as a contemporary gesture.
It appears across languid jersey dresses, pleated skirts cinched with slender belts and knit layers that skim the body with effortless drape. The result feels relaxed and quietly sensual, a modern echo of the liberated sportswear Chanel herself once made revolutionary.
The house’s most enduring emblem, the Chanel suit, remains the collection’s central canvas. Yet here it feels newly alive. Bouclé and tweed appear alongside ribbed knits, featherlight weaves, and experimental surfaces that shimmer softly with lurex or delicate embellishment.
Jackets soften into blousons and skirts sway with movement rather than formality. Blazy seems less interested in preserving the suit as an artifact and more invested in allowing it to evolve with the rhythm of contemporary life.
There is an appealing sense of real-life wearability throughout, a sentiment echoed across numerous collections this fashion month. However, Blazy never drifts into simplicity, with each piece carrying a subtle flourish.
As the show progresses, the mood shifts gently toward evening. Fabrics grow more luminous and the silhouettes loosen into something more sinuous and unrestrained. Coats cascade with a wing-like lightness, dresses flutter with movement, and sparkling accents elevate the silhouettes.
The transformation mirrors Chanel’s own metaphor of the caterpillar and the butterfly, clothing that begins with grounded ease before lifting into something more fantastical.
Accessories complete the reverie. Opalescent jewellery glows with painterly colour, pastel leather boots hug the foot with sculptural precision, and the bags move between practicality and play.
Some feel destined for daily commutes, while others shimmer with the jewel-like charm of a minaudière waiting for a late-night soirée.
In the end, La Conversation – Part Two feels exactly like its title suggests. It is not a declaration but an exchange across generations.
Blazy honours the paradox at the heart of Chanel, where function and fantasy coexist, and where women are free to move between comfort and spectacle whenever they choose.
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