In case you missed the memo, fashion is back, folks. (Although, it never really left, of course).
The Chanel Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture show kicked off in high gear at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris on January 25th. But never fear if you weren’t able to sit front row—or in this year’s case, lounge irreverently along one of several spectator pods—because the full show is available to stream for your viewing pleasure (see above).
While the spectacle was more intimate than in years past, the minimalist setting (designed by multi-medium French artist, Xavier Veilhan) housed a higher attendee count than last year. For Spring/Summer 2021, a sparse selection of guests (including Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Vanessa Paradis and her daughter, LilyRose Depp) were sporadically distanced in chairs around the circumference of a wide runway bathed in flower petals. And who could forget that Kristen Stewart (Chanel ambassador and Coco’s official Chosen One) was the sole invitee for the Métiers d’Art show at the Loire Valley’s Château de Chenonceau in the midst of the winter-surge lockdown of December 2020?
But welcome back to 2022, a year that saw Lagerfeld successor Virginie Viard’s latest vision commence with another Chanel ambassador, Charlotte Casiraghi—the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, and an accomplished equestrian, among many other things—gracefully taking the runway on horseback. A leisurely stroll crescendoed into an elegant gallop, to the binaural opening bars of an eclectic soundtrack that included everything from moments of operatic etherealism to riffs of electronic bass funk.
“Sébastien Tellier, author-composer and friend of the House, performed a series of new tracks specially composed for the occasion on oversized instruments, and the Cristal Baschet, a rare crystal organ from the Studio Venezia of the French Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017,” according to an official statement.
This year’s collection featured updated takes on the evergreen mainstays and “classic eternal good taste"—to quote Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in The First Wives Club—that we’ve come to love and expect from the hallowed House of Chanel. The most current iterations of The Chanel Suit—including signature elements like bejeweled buttons and white piping, as well as accompanying wide leg trousers—were, of course, on full display. Think tailored blazers with varying lapels, and shift dresses with the classic quartet of front pockets—all in tweed of course, as the fabric that’s most ubiquitous (if not fully synonymous) with the brand’s essence.
Next came a series of edgier looks that featured a recurring theme of mesh paneled midriffs. Floor-length hemlines and evening-wear ruled the latter half of the show, with wispy, open-air skirts, and whimsical components like frothy marabou feathers, pussy bows, sequin detailing, and layers of mille-feuille chiffon and tulle. And of course there were subtle nods to the brand’s legacy and its foundational aesthetic from the 1920s, in the form of drop-waist silhouettes, art-deco sequin patterns, and even a callback to early 20th century bridal design, topped with a traditional headpiece streaming with ribbons, to close out the show.
Click here to watch the full Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture runway show, and see some favorite looks below.
