The Butterfly Effect, Issue 23
Chanel—Life’s a Beach
Chanel’s resort à la the Allison Bornstein method: joyful, unexpected, playful.
For Matthieu Blazy’s fifth show in Biarritz models sauntered in on a sand-colored carpet reminiscent of the beach—you could almost feel the sand beneath their toes. The show featured a rainbow of primary colors, unexpected textiles, and, notably, a no-shoe shoe.
In a world weighed down with darkness, Blazy is intent on ushering in light, and he’s doing it with aplomb.
Blazy swam out of the gate with two black ensembles accented with shell earrings that crawled up the models’ ears into their hairline, but he really came into his own with Look 3 featuring a Chanel-logoed bouclé bathing cap paired with a matching jacket accented with embellished starfish and anemones. Look 3 notably introduced the naked shoe—a metal heel tied to the foot, the front of the shoe, nonexistent. Light-hearted, whimsical and completely unexpected—which celebrity will don it first?
Followed by Look 4: a breathtaking sheer red dress made up of a web of knit anemones, judiciously placed sequins and seed pearls folded into the neckline and bodice—water catching the glint of the sun. Chef’s kiss.
Blazy brought the levity look after look. Look 12 featured a bathing-capped model wearing thigh-high waders with emerald-green Chanel capped toes. Who knew waders could be so fashionable? Would that I had these on my Alaskan fishing trip…
The runway featured billowing low-slung midi skirts—layers of color and pattern, hemmed with multicolored eyelash fringe; striped quarter zips, a Blazy favorite; newspaper print; and Chanel printed sweaters, jackets and bags reminiscent of a ‘20s Art Deco poster.
In five short shows, Blazy has managed to do the impossible. He’s established the language of the brand, translated the code of the house, all while making it look easy. He’s created a casual, wearable elegance that consumers are clamoring for.
And as we gear up for the Met Gala tomorrow, Matthieu Blazy has already shown us—
Fashion is Art.
