For his debut Haute Couture collection at Chanel, Matthieu Blazy asks a precise question: What makes Chanel, Chanel?
The answer unfolds through restraint. This Spring/Summer 2026 collection reframes Haute Couture as an intimate exchange between garment and wearer, prioritising cut, movement and personal meaning over overt drama.
The show takes place, as it always does, in the Grand Palais, transformed into an ethereal, stylised woodland. The abstract, candy pink willow forest is punctuated by towering mushroom sculptures to create a sense of suspension and quiet surrealism. The scene suggests a dreamlike pause from reality that serves to underscore the ethereal lightness and movement of each garment.
Opening looks distil the Chanel suit to its barest expression. Crafted in sheer silk mousseline in soft, muted tones, the tailoring feels weightless and pared back. Transparency is used to reveal inner construction and emotional detail: embroidered love letters, a bottle of N°5, and red lipstick motifs appear as personal artefacts, hidden in pockets, stitched into linings or suspended from the house’s signature chain. The garments expose an “interior life,” reinforcing the idea of couture as something intimate and individual.
As the collection progresses, a bird motif emerges — interpreted through silhouette, texture and craftsmanship rather than literal costume. Drawing on the expertise of the flou and tailleur ateliers and the artisans of le19M, feathered effects are suggested through pleating, embroidery, weaving and layered construction. From stark black tailoring that emphasises cut and precision, to more elaborate looks evoking colourful plumage, the focus remains on technique and control.
Chanel signatures anchor the collection, grounding its more conceptual elements. Blazy’s debut couture does not seek to reinvent the House, but to refine it.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
