At Chanel, Whimsical Haute Couture Meets Wearable French Girl Style
It’s been a season full of couture shows taking place in the great outdoors, and Chanel was no exception. For its fall 2023 haute couture presentation, the label took guests on a journey just beyond the Eiffel Tower where, on the old cobblestone pathway near the Seine, the house debuted a collection that riffed on all the signature elements of “French girl style”—with essentials ranging from tweed coats to sequined midi skirts and little black dresses.
The collection opened with a series of floor-length jackets bearing buttons, sequins, and textured tweeds. Creative director Virginie Viard is known for her subtle approach toward reinterpreting Chanel’s house codes; here, she took a similar direction by paying tribute to a rotating stable of her favorite silhouettes. The go-to Chanel girls—Riley Keough, Margaret Qualley, Camila Morrone and Clémence Poésy—watched the show unfold from the front row.
Models carried wicker baskets full of flowers and walked a dog down the runway, adding a whimsical touch to the collection. Layered and hyper-realistic floral sequins on tiered dresses; shining appliqués with fruit motifs embedded in intricate crochets and knits; pristine boater hats; a pink belted coat dress, and one golden embossed skirt suit had a distinctly youthful feel. Viard described the collection as, “handing down emotions, bringing the most unlikely elements together, doing things your own way, just dreaming.”
The couture runways this season bear a recurring theme—the idea of achingly wearable couture. Viard showed a number of pieces that fell into that designation (think: black tiered maxi skirts; wool midi skirts; long, skinny scarves, and ruffled and striped blouses.) Still, the creative director proved the Chanel couture bride will always be the fashion moment of our dreams. The bride closed the show in a sweet little ruched dress with a chiffon tutu drop waist, puffy sheer sleeves and a bow at the neckline. She wore a short, sheer veil and Mary Jane ballerina flats (which everyone seems to be donning lately). It was equal parts coquette, balletcore, and girlish fantasy. In that moment, Chanel captured something current, timeless, and modern for both bridalwear and couture.
