Chanel

HAUTE COUTURE SS23

FEBRUARY 2023

Text:
Mera Charles

The Chanel Spring 2023 couture collection debuted in Paris on Tuesday, showcasing a more fun and playful approach to fashion. Creative director, Virginie Viard, used Gabrielle Chanel's apartment as inspiration, resulting in a menagerie of wood, cardboard and paper animals. The collection featured Chanel's classic camellia, crafted in layers of tulle, and fields of spring-ready florals. Tweed jackets were adorned with corgi faces in sequins, and delicate sheer dresses had leaping bunnies embroidered on them. The styling was reminiscent of majorettes, featuring top hats, bow ties, and laced-up boots with the famous Chanel two-tone toe cap. Outerwear, whether a tweed coat or a satin cape, came in exaggerated shapes that tented around the body, and tweed shorts ballooned out from the hip.

Viard is not a designer who pushes a concept over clothes. Her collections are relatable, designed for modern life, and evoke the magic of the couture ateliers to make pieces that look like snowy, frothy whipped cream. The collection switched from short and sweet daywear to long and slim evening, with long body-skimming dresses in tiny polka dots, and black or white lace. Although the silhouette might make you think 1930s, Viard was not thinking of vintage Chanel collections. Humor is not a word often associated with Chanel, but it was evident throughout this collection.

The show ended with the bride popping out from a hidden door in the elephant, wearing a little white dress entirely covered with embroidered doves and a white bow tie. It was a light-touch moment, simple and rather charming, much like the spirit of the rest of the show. Overall, the collection was a parade of cute Chanel drum majorettes, or perhaps, circus ringmasters, flipping along in their short, flared suits with the odd top hat and bow tie. Despite the playful idea, Viard did not compromise on the clothing's high quality, which still felt youthfully relatable.

Viard's approach to design is "modern wardrobe for real women." She does not stick to high concepts and instead focuses on creating clothes for modern life. Throughout his 30-plus-year tenure at the French house, Karl Lagerfeld imbued his designs with plenty of tongue-in-cheek takes on fashion. In the same vein, Viard opted for a looser, more fun route in her designs. Viard and artist Xavier Veilhan collaborated on the set design, which featured a menagerie of mobile animal sculptures, from a horse and a lion to a buffalo, bird, fish, dog, and elephant.