Matthieu Blazy Brings Chanel Back To Biarritz For Its 2026 Cruise Collection

The Chanel Cruise 2026 collection marks both another first for Matthieu Blazy and a full-circle moment for the French house. Staged in Biarritz, where Gabrielle Chanel first set up shop in 1915, it’s a homecoming to the label’s roots. Reflecting on the setting, Blazy notes, “Far from the Paris salon, Chanel found in Biarritz different ways of being and seeing, of movement and freedom. She made them her fashion pedestal.” That same spirit of liberation and ease thus became the foundation of the collection.

Presented at Le Casino Municipal, with a star-studded front row – including A$AP Rocky, Nicole Kidman, and Tilda Swinton – the collection breathes an infectious sense of fun to the shore. Moving away from Paris and into the relaxed rhythm of the seaside, Blazy delivered what feels like his most playful Chanel collection to date. It may be Chanel’s fundamental ideas as the docking station, but it is Blazy who’s sailing the boat in full force.

Let’s dive into the details.

A blast from the past

Opening the show, Matthieu Blazy returned to an original 1926 sketch by Gabrielle Chanel: a simple black dress with geometric lines. Originally with a large bow at the back, it is now transposed with a clutch accompanying the look. 

Breton shirts that Coco Chanel was once photographed in appeared as a slouched half-zip pullover and paired with sophisticated ruffled skirts – a Blazy signature. He continues to revisit the wardrobe of Chanel, injecting a sense of ease and movement. It’s anything but outdated and perfectly right for the modern Chanel woman.

Basked in stripes

In a post-interview, the designer recalled seeing an image of tents on the beaches with Basque stripes taken in 1910. In his words, they were “such a mess,” that it fuelled him to bring them into the collection. The stripes have since become an anchor that tie together different elements, appearing on a scarf top, peeking through the lapels of tweed jackets, and inflected upon dresses and cardigans wrapped around the waist, much of which were printed in summer hues echoing the vibrant energy of the town dubbed as surfing capital.

Whimsical textures

Chanel collections are always pleasant to the eyes, even more to the touch. Since his first outing in the French maison, Blazy has always demonstrated his fervour for craft. In this collection, his tactility ranged from raffia rustling beneath umbrella skirts, aquatic creatures laced through tweed, lightweight feathers bursting out of pockets, and a sequinned denim-on-denim ensemble that catches light as it moves.

Another hot commodity: the newspaper printed fabric – extremely hard to miss on almost all but one look that hid the print underneath fishnets rendered in red and blue. You’ll want to zoom in on each image to make sure you don’t miss a single detail.

Let the accessory treasure hunt begin

For the accessory magpies, the collection offers plenty of soon-to-be collector’s pieces. The bags range from octopus-embellished clutches to classic flap bags adorned with aquatic embroidery. And since it’s a Cruise collection, how about supersized stripey tote bags for holidays?

Footwear haggles between fantasy and function; two-toned heels made a comeback mingling delightful colours with patterns alongside “barefoot” heel caps bound for trotting sandy shores. The jewellery followed suit with red hot chilli (a Biarritz specialty) imposing as earrings and necklaces. If the Spring Summer 2026 launches served any lessons, we say be sure to get to the front of the line when these hit stores at the end of this year.

Mermaids of Chanel

While the collection flowed through an aquatic current, the two closing looks were the pinnacle: a blue dress and suit ensemble crafted in fish-scale paillettes, with a fishtail treading behind the trails.

Blazy explained, “We built the show around Noor [Khan] as a mermaid, and everyone in the show are the people she’s going to meet during her time on Earth.” Transforming the real life woman part mermaid, he brought fantasy to life with a sense of joy that continues to persist.