Yesterday, CHANEL presented its 2022 spring/summer haute couture collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, with Monaco Princess and brand ambassador Charlotte Casiraghi riding a spirited horse to kick off the show.
This season’s artistic director Virginie Virad invited French artist Xavier Veilhan to collaborate, transforming the runway into a scene reminiscent of an equestrian obstacle course, with the audience seated on seats arranged like sand dunes to enjoy the grand show. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time CHANEL has collaborated with a contemporary artist.
Xavier Veilhan has been a prominent figure since the 1990s. His works span painting, photography, sculpture, installations, with the most famous being public sculptures created through 3D scanning. For this CHANEL show, he selected geometric rings and circular patterns as the main elements of the runway installation, echoing the modernity exploration of avant-garde artists from the 1920s across time and space; the use of simple materials creates a space that is magnificent, full of lightness and elegant artistic visual charm.
Charlotte Casiraghi made a grand entrance in a black sequined herringbone coat paired with an equestrian outfit, exuding elegance and reminiscent of the style of Coco Chanel. With a total of 45 looks in the collection, this season pays tribute to the aesthetic style of world expos, where modernist art had a profound influence. Virginie Viard incorporates contemporary craftsmanship in fashion to revisit this artistic trend.
Color blocks, patterns… in the hands of the craftsmen in the embroidery workshop, embellished with dazzling sequins and layered embroidery patterns, making each piece of clothing itself a work of art. Double-layered hem, bell-shaped silhouette, tapered pants… and other designs also reveal shadows of the 1920s.
The finale wedding dress look of CHANEL’s haute couture collection has always been a highlight of the show, Swiss supermodel Vivienne Rohner wore a simple white wedding dress, ditching the heavy veil, wearing a camellia-decorated headband, and carrying a bouquet of blue camellias.
Bleu de Chanel A bouquet of deep blue camellias, expressing nostalgia for the late French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who passed away in a skiing accident. He collaborated with CHANEL for 12 years and appeared multiple times in the brand’s Bleu De Chanel perfume. The show was a heartbreaking and beautiful farewell.
