Chanel Fall Winter 2026: Matthieu Blazy Expands The Meaning Of Chanel

The Grand Palais, Chanel’s usual showground, had been transformed into a construction site. Not the dusty, hard-hat kind, of course, but the most glamorous one imaginable, complete with colourful towering cranes and shimmery floors. What could one read from it? Perhaps that the new Chanel is a work in progress. Or that Matthieu Blazy is busy building a bright new future for the house. Actually, why not both?

The idea of transformation also echoed a famous line from Coco Chanel herself. “Fashion is both caterpillar and butterfly. Be a caterpillar by day and a butterfly by night. There is nothing more comfortable than a caterpillar and nothing more made for love than a butterfly. We need dresses that crawl and dresses that fly,” she once told the French newspaper Le Figaro in the ’50s.

There were certainly plenty of pieces in this 78-look collection that catered to both ends of that equation. And in doing so, Blazy continues what he has described as an ongoing conversation with Gabrielle Chanel, a dialogue with the house founder that also guided his debut collection.

Here, a closer look:

One collection, many selves

The collection celebrates the freedom to shift identities, letting women choose when they want to be grounded or transformative. It opened with a black sweater and matching skirt, and also ended with a slinky black jersey gown; seemingly simple pieces until one looked at the back of said jersey gown and there were the fireworks - a giant camelia suspended in the middle of the back. “That’s what Chanel is for me. This quiet revolution, but then, boom,” said Blazy in a post-show media interview.

For the butterflies out there, they were well-served. Take for instance the iridescent pieces that seemed to change colour as the models walked - these were fashioned out of chainmail that reportedly had special motifs printed onto them.

The brave new possibilities of the Chanel suit

Blazy isn’t just tweaking details; he’s literally expanding the vocabulary of the Chanel suit (read: it’s no longer just the iconic jacket and skirt). He’s adding pieces like the blouson and work shirt, experimenting with materials from silk jersey to lurex and silicone blends, and introducing techniques like beading and knitting that make the suits lighter, more flexible, and effortlessly modern.

Not to mention, new additions to the Chanel suit like the work shirt (in boucle-tweed) and the blouson (in pressed-tweed) are traditionally men’s pieces, which one might read as harking back to founder Gabrielle Chanel’s fondness for borrowing her lovers’ clothing. Dare we say they’ll also be drawing new audiences to Chanel - this writer is definitely eyeing those blousons.

Dip it low

Blazy’s ultra-dropped waist isn’t just a nod to 1920s nostalgia — it’s a wink to Gabrielle Chanel herself, who helped make the silhouette famous by freeing women from corsets and giving them a relaxed, elongated shape. Here, the dropped waist is dialled up for FW26: dresses and suits stretch super low, giving a languid, playful feel that’s at once modern and steeped in Chanel history.

A very good season for the bag ladies

If you’ve been on social media at all this week, you’ll have seen how industry insiders have been mobbing Chanel stores in Paris in a bid to get their hands on Blazy’s debut collection (Spring Summer 2026) for the maison.

And judging from the latest collection, Blazy is firing on all fronts - check out the curious new hybrid model (above, bottom row, in the middle) that seems to be a hybrid of Chanel’s classic 2.55 and the 11.12 (commonly known as the Classic Flap). It seems destined to be one of the breakout stars of this collection.

And of course, a Chanel show would never be without a few collectible novelties - the one this season is undoubtedly this pomegranate-shaped minaudiere. Juicy!

Materials that made us look twice

We’ve always known Matthieu Blazy was into crafts but this collection seemed to be on another level. Ribbed knits, classic tweeds, and soft silk jersey mingle with blends you wouldn’t expect: lurex, silicone, and gauze. There are beaded and knitted suits that feel impossibly light and flexible, while coats and dresses move with a sylph-like fluidity.

The tactile magic continues in the accessories: opalescent enamel and resin jewellery catch the light like little jewels, mother-of-pearl pieces are tinted with artificial hues, and second-skin pastel leather boots are soft, supple, and playful. It’s a collection that practically begs you to reach out and touch it, a reminder that Chanel isn’t just visual; it’s a full-body experience.