Chanel has returned to its heartland of the Grand Palais in Paris for a poetic Fall Winter 2025/26 runway. Amid the grand hollows of the atrium, the maison played with proportions, colour to display a collection that was thoroughly ‘Chanel’.
Bows, tweed, pearls—the new collection gathers the codes of the house and resizes them for a new sense of play. Instead of delicate strings of pearls, these precious gems were supersized into bags, clutches and layered necklaces. Meanwhile, the pussybow also featured in an array of proportions, and bow motifs continued in various abstract forms: some, large and knitted, others cut-out and lined with pearls.
Naturally, the house offered a nod to its female founder, Coco Chanel, by re-interpreting her preferred tweed suits. With Chanel, it always pays to see the clothes up-close, where you can observe the delicate details. Illusion plays a huge part in Chanel’s fabric, with its delicate tulle fancies and trompe l’oeil effects.
This season’s tweed suits were often paired with chic boater hats of the matching fabric—accessories that will be just at home on the sophisticated woman, as they will on those wanting to put a popular preppy edge on their streetwear. Speaking of streetwear, it wasn’t all tweed suits and frilled dresses. The show tried a new spin on its classic cuts with a small collection of patent leather coats, tops and trousers.
The Paris Fashion Week runway attracted friends of the house to the front row, including Tyla, who donned a purple tweed suit for the occasion, and Australia’s own Phoebe Tonkin.
Overall, the Fall Winter collection focused on femininity. The return of these classic Chanel details culminated in an ode to womanhood, imbuing high-femme styles with a sense of youthful play.
