The CHANEL FALL-WINTER 23/24 Haute Couture collection was unveiled in Paris last week and it was arguably one of CHANEL Creative Director Virginie Viard’s best yet. Sophisticated yet youthful, it embraces the understated elegance that has come to mark her creations for CHANEL. Held quai side along the Seine, it was a beautiful study in contrasts. Viard noted, “Playing with opposites and contrasts, with nonchalance and elegance, is like standing on a line between strength and delicacy, which, at CHANEL, is what we call allure.” And alluring it was. It celebrated the CHANEL woman, the ultimate Parisienne. A woman who is a romantic academic. One who is feminine and creative, bold and slightly bohemian, yet achingly elegant.
The pieces are crafted in tweeds, silk chiffons, organza, and lace. While beautifully understated at first glance, they are a celebration of the incredible skill of the CHANEL Haute Couture atelier and its artisan partners. Long, masculine-inspired overcoats, diaphanous blouses belted over flat-pleated golden tweed skirts, precious vest tops, pin-striped trousers and men’s waistcoats, a long black chiffon dress of infinite lightness, painted eyewear and two-tone Mary-Janes: the collection plays with the codes of CHANEL, rigour and asymmetry, discreet colours and vibrant shades, assurance and discretion. A vibrant yet delicate floral motif is found throughout the collection. Inspired by the the fruit basket, a motif dear to the art of painting, echoes the wicker basket favoured by the Parisienne of the 1970s. Filled too bursting with flowers, these quintessentially Parisienne baskets were carried down the runway by many a model during the presentation.
To close the show, the iconic CHANEL bride was imagined in the most stunning way. With a whisper-thin veil perched atop her head, and trim little white Mary-Janes at her feet, she was youthful and beautifully fresh. The gown is an absolute triumph of couture skill. Done in delicate chiffon with a pleated full skirt and dramatic full sleeves, it features a pleated bodice and ruffled collard that is adorned with the most perfectly crafted bow.
