Your Cheat Sheet To The Chanel Spring/Summer 2022 Show
The starting point for the collection: the '20s, at a time when an avant-garde cultural movement had just taken root in Europe and Coco Chanel had just started her career as a fashion designer.
Three years into her stint as artistic director of Chanel it is clear that Virginie Viard is making no apologies for the brand of spare elegance she has cemented at the Maison in the post-Lagerfeld era. It's the same approach when it came to her haute couture which had its latest Spring/Summer 2022 presentation during Paris Fashion Week recently.
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The seeming simplicity of Viard's designs may stand in stark contrast to the outlandish embellishments and architectural shapes familiar in the realm of haute couture, but her restrained approach and strict emphasis on tailoring and artisanal craftsmanship place Viard in the same headspace as the Constructivists whom she namechecked for this outing.
Chanel looked to the '20s and '30s for its Spring/Summer 2022 couture collection, at a time when the influence of the Constructivism was strong.
The Constructivists were a group of avant-garde artists who originated in Russia during the '20s and were known for their obsession with building and science, rather than artistic expression and decorative details. The movement's preoccupation with industrial production influenced Lagerfeld – and this was evident in his short film Coco 1913 – Chanel 1923 (2007) and reportedly the notes he used to leave Viard.
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Viard found a kindred spirit in the French contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan who created the geometric and winding set for the show which acted as a framework “where I felt very free”. She added: "His references to Constructivism remind me of those of Karl Lagerfeld. I like this similarity of spirit between us, now and across time."
While feathered embellishments provided the nod to the Flapper-era as well as the quality of lightness that Virginie Viard was seeking in the collection, some designs were actually decorated with fine fringes of tulle – highlighting the skilled workmanship of the ateliers.
"These geometric shapes made me want contrasts, a great lightness and a lot of freshness: ethereal dresses that float as if suspended. Lots of flounces, fringes, macramé, bright lace, iridescent tweeds, colourful jewelled buttons.”
In the gallery below, we zoom into some of the details and scenes from the show you might have missed.
House ambassador Charlotte Casiraghi, the granddaughter of Grace Kelly and Rainier III of Monaco, provided the dramatic effect needed for the show. It was a poetic scene to see the accomplished equestrian make an entrance on her majestic eight-year-old horse Kuskus, while the sombre instrumental arrangement by French musician Sebastien Tellier played in the background.
The symbolism of Casiraghi on horseback harked back to Xavier Veilhan's own works which often feature equine motifs and to Coco Chanel herself. The mademoiselle owned a racehorse named Romantica and revolutionised the way women rode by ditching skirts in favour of breeches.
Xavier Veilhan's involvement in the couture show went beyond creating the series of teaser films and collaterals for the pre-show event. Veilhan, who represented France at the 2017 Venice Biennale, was also entrusted with constructing the show's set design – marking the first time that task has fallen into the hands of a contemporary artist.
By blending the architectural influences of a horse-riding arena, canine paths, a mini-golf course and the Universal Exhibitions fair from the early 20th century, Veilhan created a playful set that's part garden, part open theatre stage with guests on inflatable seats and spinning wheels suspended in the air.
The show notes described the two-tone Mary Janes that anchored each one of the 45 runway looks as "inspired by the 1920s revisited via the 1980s". Indeed, the kitten-heeled shoes added a Jazz Age twist to looks that range from tweed suits, evening dresses and a wedding gown.
Chanel has amassed an army of skilled artisans under its Chanel’s Metiers d’Art (French for “artistic trades”) group. There are a reported 40 workshops that lend their expertise from embroidery to jewellery-making to the various collections by the Maison today.
For the Spring/Summer 2022 couture collection, all of the embroidery workshops from Lesage to Atelier Montex chipped in to create stunning beadwork and needlework details that truly come to life upon closer inspection. Lesage, for instance, created a tiered maxi dress covered in camellias in black, white and coral beads worn with a little black jacket.
Meet Chanel's Gatsby bride who was a vision in a white silk chiffon dress that featured a slit in the front and a fancy sequin-embroidered neckline. The couture bride ditched the veil for a garland made of hand-applied camellias and a charming hand bouquet of camellias dipped in a deep blue shade.