Chanel SS27 Put Us on Cloud Nine
With a runway illuminated by a flock of birds.
Now one year into his tenure, Matthieu Blazy has yet to disappoint at Chanel. With previous set designs including the universe and a fantastical fairy garden complete with giant mushrooms, this season we were sky-high, with the runway shadowed by huge floating birds.
For Spring/Summer 2027, Blazy continued his conversation with Gabrielle Chanel, looking beyond the house’s familiar codes to explore the many identities of the woman behind them. Titled “Different Faces of the Same Coin,” the collection traces Chanel’s evolution from rebellious young woman to fashion revolutionary, without treating her history as something fixed in time.
The result was a wardrobe built around transformation. Edwardian corsetry was stripped back to traces of boning, peplums and curved bodices, with nods to the start of Gabrielle Chanel’s career in a lingerie atelier, while masculine tailoring was deconstructed into raw-edged gilets, trousers and pencil-skirt suits. Elsewhere, 1930s-inspired eveningwear arrived in sequins, bias-cut silhouettes and delicate knits, balancing formal dressing with an almost T-shirt-like ease.
Blazy’s approach felt particularly fluid, with layers of transparent printed silks creating billowing, cloud-like silhouettes that shifted from morning to golden hour and nightfall. Movement was central, with swallows and swifts appearing across buttons, jewelry and embroidery as symbols of freedom.
Even Chanel’s iconic tweed got a contemporary rethink. The new “smocked tweed” transformed the house signature into a stretchy, lightweight and malleable second skin, echoing the jersey underwear that began Gabrielle’s story. Finally, the show closed out with a mash-up of Britney Spears‘ “Gimme More,” which many of the guests couldn’t help but dance to, including Dua Lipa, Nicole Kidman and Ayo Edebiri.
Rather than recreating Chanel’s past, Blazy asked what it means to inherit it, and, ultimately, how to set yourself free from it. Check out some of the looks above and head to the brand’s website for more.
For more on Paris Fashion Week, check out our favorite SS27 shows.
