This week, the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection was unveiled during Paris Fashion Week. It features bows, rhinestones, sumptuous feathers, and sequins set against the backdrop of pastel tweeds, dreamy deconstructed prints, lace, and light as air chiffon. There is a beautiful interplay between the sinuous movement of the chiffon and silk pieces against the restrained elegance of the tweed, velvet and jersey found throughout the collection. A color palette of mostly black and white interspersed with pops of soft pinks, greens, and blues also features striking hints of gold for an altogether dreamy feel. Moments of whimsy are also present with delicate white polkadots and opera gloves featuring oversized bows.
For the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection, Creative Director Virginie Viard drew inspiration from what appear to be favourite sources, the rich history and universe of CHANEL and French New Wave Cinema. “The films we have seen, those that possess us and those we invent for ourselves, Marienbad, the Nouvelle Vague, the allure according to Gabrielle Chanel, Karl, the night, feathers, sequins, heels: I like it when things get mixed up,” observes Virginie Viard. Last Year in Marienbad, the film that Viard references, holds a special place in the Maison’s history. Considered a cinematic masterpiece and one of the most important films of the French New Wave, Gabrielle Chanel designed the costumes for the film. Those costumes and the film also inspired Karl Lagerfeld’s Spring-Summer 2011 collection for CHANEL.
This stunning collection represents all that I have come to love about CHANEL under the direction of Viard. It honours the history of the Maison while still feeling fresh and new. She artfully melds the codes and symbols so beloved by the Maison and its devoted clients with her own vision for the modern CHANEL woman.
And lest we forget the accessories that came down the runway – always a highly anticipated aspect of a CHANEL collection – stay tuned! I’ll be sharing a detailed look at them shortly as well as sharing more about the inspiration behind this stunning collection.
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