Since assuming her role as Creative Director of CHANEL, Virginie Viard has beautifully embraced the duality that is so central to the CHANEL universe. The expert mixing of the masculine and the feminine, the delicate and the diaphanous, and the sleek and sumptuous have come to be emblems of the House of CHANEL since its founding by Gabrielle Chanel over a century ago. This notion of duality was central to the CHANEL Cruise 2021/22 Collection that was unveiled last week. Held at the breathtaking Carrières de Luminères in Les Baux-de-Provence, the collection is a striking marriage of the maximalism of the 1980s punk aesthetic and the freshness of the 1960s Mod style.
Viard was further inspired by the renowned French artist, writer, designer, filmmaker, and close friend of Gabrielle Chanel, Jean Cocteau and his final film, Testament of Orpheus. She notes, “the simplicity, the precision and the poetry of Cocteau’s film made me want to create a very clean collection, with a very distinct two-tone, made up of bright white and deep black.” The CHANEL Cruise 2021/22 Collection was a masterful representation of these inspirations. The bright white and deep black of Cocteau was punctuated by flashes of pinks and blues for a colour palette that highlighted the garments of the collection rather than overpower them. Tweed, so emblematic of CHANEL, had a place of pride in the collection and was imagined in the form of the classic CHANEL suit as well as two piece sets, oversized blazers, and a trim little coat dress that was perfectly reminiscent of the 60s mod style. Spring weight knits and billowing silks also featured throughout the collection as well. Punk princess embellishments like fringe, sequins, and gilt chains played beautifully against delicate floral embroidery. There was also a further nod to Cocteau with a dove pattern worked into the CHANEL Cruise 2021/22 Collection – a nod to the dove motif featured in some of his own artwork.
Bijoux was bold and layered in the form of cuffs, chains, statement earrings featuring house emblems like the Byzantine inspired cross, pearls, and the iconic interlocking “CC” motif. Footwear was straight out of the 1960s and featured Chelsea Chelsea boot styles as well as Mary-Janes. As for the bags of the CHANEL Cruise 2021/22 Collection, the classic flap style features predominately with appearances from the ever popular wallet-on-chain style as well as a fringed saddle bag.
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