Matthieu Blazy Writes His Own Fairytale With Chanel’s Fall Winter 2026 Haute Couture Collection

Matthieu Blazy just spun his own version of a fairytale for Chanel’s Fall Winter 2026 Haute Couture Collection. Staged at Paris’ Grand Palais on July 7, the show had the museum transformed into a forest with towering floral installations that looked straight out of the pages of a fable. This set offered a glimpse into Blazy’s continued world-building, this time interweaving Gabrielle Chanel’s hallmarks with his own whimsical approach.

Titled Gaby and The Beanstalk, the collection was inspired by a book he stumbled upon in Gabrielle Chanel’s personal library. “I started to wonder, was Gabrielle Chanel’s life a fairytale? I found a small book in her library, Les Fées, Contes des Contes, and asked myself if, together with the Haute Couture ateliers, we could make garments that tell stories like a book.” And so, the 63-look lineup delivered draw cues from classic tales like Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, all while never losing sight of the multi-faceted women of Chanel.

See also: 10 Best Dressed Celebrities At Chanel’s Fairytale-Themed Fall Winter 2026 Couture Show

HIGLIGHTS OF CHANEL’S FALL 2026-2027 HAUTE COUTURE COLLECTION

Storybook classics brought to life

The show opened with a sheer tweed skirt suit, constructed from guipure with bean-shaped embellishments climbing across its surface. In one hand, the model appeared to be holding a small leather book, which Blazy later revealed to be a copy of Les Fées, Contes des Contes. In the other, a matching clutch with loosely hanging beans in the same material as the garment.

Later on, a couture version of a scarecrow appeared  – the Wizard of Oz creature was reimagined through a cropped jacket and hat crafted from raffia, worn over frayed tartan and beaded trousers that could’ve easily passed off as denim. This storybook theme continues in the swan-beaded dress that appeared in the second half of the show.

While it was clear that some looks were inspired by the classic tales we grew up with, others appeared to be a result of Blazy’s own fairytales, created through couture craftsmanship.

Groundedness in everyday reality

Couture often focuses on the fantastical part of fashion, and while there certainly was plenty of that, the collection manages to balance playful fiction with real-life function. Tweed separates are offered in a softer, lighter form, while the dresses have a sort of ease to them thanks to the drop of the waist, and polished blazers come with loose tailoring that seemingly borrow from the men’s wardrobe. As the designer noted, “Haute couture at Chanel is not just a fairy tale; in essence it is for women, their realities and their adventures of the everyday.”

All the hidden details

Gabrielle Chanel had a fondness for trinkets, and this time, Blazy doubled down on such elements with weighted chains, memo notes, charms, and many other “everyday artefacts” giving the garments a lived-in quality.

He also paid close attention to the intimacy couture has between the maker and the wearer. For instance, one of the black dresses appears quite simple on the surface, but its interior is lined with silk, painted with a random to-do list – such details were made only for the pleasure of the wearer.

Fantastical shoes, minaudieres, and more

Accessories were given the same whimsical treatment. Take a closer look at the shoes and you’ll find miniature worlds built into heels; with butterflies, roses, tiny figures, and golden eggs transforming Chanel’s signature slingbacks into ornate works of art. Bags are sculpted into beans, sleeping bears, or red hens, while accessories such as necklaces jumble everything together into the mix for a playful touch.

Tactile nature elements

Material works reign supreme at Chanel, and this time, florals and vines creep across garments as embroidery. One look features 3D flowers and vines embroidered onto airy fabric, as though magic beans have grown into stalks and taken over. Similarly, another gown has floral appliques and a golden bean on one shoulder, white feathers on the other. Nature has served as inspiration in many other couture collections, and at the hands of Blazy and Chanel’s ateliers, pieces are elevated as intricate tactile works.

The perfect ending

It’s a tradition, especially at Chanel, to close out couture with a bridal look – but not for Blazy. A wedding dress did appear, in sheer lace with a drop waist and billowy skirt, but it was thrown into a jumble of other looks before the final piece appeared. Instead, a black off-the-shoulder hourglass dress closed out the show, serving as the perfect nod to Gabrielle Chanel, and subsequently the ending to her fairytale that was imagined in this collection. After all, she was the woman who introduced the little black dress, and as Blazy pointed out, “[A wedding] wasn’t Chanel’s fairy tale because she was never married.”