Effortless And Low-Key Chic, Chanel Kept Things Light At Couture Week
“Light, feminine, designed to be worn,” says artistic director Virginie Viard.
After several seasons of showing at the Grand Palais Ephemere, Chanel gathers its guests in a playground created in the Etrier de Paris equestrian centre, right in the heart of Paris’ Bois de Boulogne park for its Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 collection.
You may recognise the park in the opening scene of the 1958 film Gigi, where the venue was depicted as it was in the late 19th century — a place to meet and be seen, as the men and women in carriages or on horseback paraded elegantly around the lakes.
CHANEL Fall-Winter 2022/23 Haute Couture Show
Setting by Xavier Veilhan
Etrier de Paris
Etrier de Paris equestrian centre is the venue of Chanel's Fall/Winter 2022 couture showcase.
For this collection, artist Xavier Veilhan — who also designed the set for Chanel’s haute couture Spring/Summer 2022 show — created a maze of sculptures that brought to mind toy building blocks but blown up to monumental proportions, resembling a life-sized display of an early 2000s video game environment.
READ MORE: Your Cheat Sheet To The Chanel Spring/Summer 2022 Show
The teaser videos feature intentionally imperfect green screen superimpositions of the house’s muses Charlotte Casiraghi and Vivienne Rohner on glitchy backgrounds, foreshadowing the show venue’s approach of intersecting the virtual and real.
Xavier Veilhan was responsible for the maze-like set.
This season, artistic director Virginie Viard continues her exploration of the Maison’s iconic tweed, this time with her eyes on the '30s silhouette. The collection is underpinned by long, lean lines, together with strong shoulders.
Chanel's tweed suits were given a '30s flair for this couture outing.
Models glide in slinky pant suits and pleated floor-length dresses, embellished with intricate work of inlaid lace and beading in geometric motifs. The result? Garments that are pared-back and relaxed, recalling Mademoiselle Chanel’s own personal style — “light, feminine, designed to be worn,” as described by Viard.
READ MORE: Show Notes: It Was An Ode To Tweed Over At Chanel
Cowboy boots and oversized hats, rendered in tweed, also make an appearance on the runway. “These boots also echo the previous Haute Couture show that opened with Charlotte Casiraghi on horseback,” says Viard.
Boots + column gowns = Virginie Viard's answer to evening chic.
Music is also a key story this season, with abstract backing track by Sebastien Tellier, and Pharrell Williams on drums playing out to the audience in a video.
Scroll through to see all the looks from the show.
This article first appeared in Harper's Bazaar Singapore