Ever since he joined Chanel, Matthieu Blazy has been tracing its founder’s footsteps. It makes sense, then, that for his first cruise collection for the maison, he would stage the show in Biarritz. Rue Cambon, for all its might in Chanel’s mythology, is perhaps second to the seaside town where Gabrielle Chanel first envisioned her brand.
Not that Blazy is the first to unearth Biarritz from the brand’s history. Spring/Summer 2003 was Karl Lagerfeld’s interpretation of its significance (where surfboards matched the giant glossy CC in the centre of the runway), while as recently as Fall/Winter 2024, Virginie Viard staged a show on a beachside-inspired boardwalk.
Blazy is not as campy as Lagerfeld or as literal as Viard. Instead, he takes the maison’s history as his muse, starting the show with its most distinctive symbol: the LBD. An almost exact replica of the garment that inspired Vogue’s 1926 title of “Chanel’s Ford” appeared on the runway. With the dropped-waist silhouette revived in all five of Blazy’s Chanel collections, the dress was the first to walk down the salon-inspired set. The 1920s inspiration continued in swimming caps, Art Deco jewellery, and handkerchief dresses.
Staples of Blazy’s Chanel were present in voluminous skirts and textured sets, the latter of which drowned embroidered flowers in light feathers and tightly packed textile petal edges. Graphic logo details in silk blouses and pleated skirts are both new and dearly welcomed to Blazy’s lexicon. Accessories were undeniably delicious, from the barefoot heel caps that have taken over my feed to the waterproof flap bags and the practically model-sized raffia bags with enlarged CCs to raffia clutches.
Blazy’s tracing mythology in more than one way. Mermaids filled the pre-show teasers (as well as the shell necklace that served as the show’s invite). Unsurprisingly, they reemerged on the runway, inspiring the two closing looks. The first, a jacket and shirt set with a matching bag – another one of Blazy’s signatures – layered shiny, fiery scales over one another, while the second featured pebbled shades of blue on a dress with a dramatic, scalloped back. Once again, the designer proves that his greatest strength is his balancing act. Blazy’s Chanel is as complex as it is easy-going, as fantasy-filled as it is wearable. Storytelling is woven with wearability in a cohesive gesture.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
