Chanel’s collection under new creative director Matthieu Blazy continues its triumphant run — and his fifth runway show took place directly on the beachfront promenade of Biarritz, the city where Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel opened her first couture house in 1915.
The show became a true “love letter” to the brand’s heritage — and at the same time a statement on how Chanel is reinterpreting its identity today: balancing high fashion, a more democratic spirit, and extreme price points, The Guardian reports.

The day before the show, Chanel boutique staff in Biarritz were already using branded beach towels to expand fitting room space for customers eager to buy jeans priced at around €3,100 a pair. These jeans have become a symbol of Chanel’s new era — aesthetically more relaxed, yet still financially elite.

The runway show took place in a casino ballroom overlooking the Bay of Biscay, where waves and surfers formed a living backdrop. Models walked in pink denim tweed suits, sheer silk pieces layered over sporty tank tops, and oversized double-C logos — which the designer described as Chanel’s “rock T-shirt.”

Particular attention was drawn to models of different ages, including women in their 50s and 60s, as well as a pregnant model, Kaya, who walked the runway with her jacket open over her bump, wearing tiny two-tone shoes gifted by the designer.
Pregnancy and natural body presence became part of the brand’s new language: Chanel is presenting not only luxury, but also bodily reality.

The collection also featured seaside fantasy elements — such as a turquoise sequined gown with a “mermaid tail” train, inspired by an Art Deco mural from the Biarritz lighthouse, where intertwined mermaid tails form a shape resembling the double C logo.

Blazy explained that Biarritz was a key source of inspiration for Coco Chanel: she watched swimmers, sunbathed, and wore practical workwear. This coastal lifestyle shaped her appreciation for comfort and functional fashion.
The show opened with an interpretation of the little black dress — a garment that Vogue in 1926 famously called “Chanel’s Ford.” According to Blazy, Chanel “took the black dress from workers and shopgirls and placed it on the aristocracy,” creating an aesthetic revolution of taste.

The collection also featured a suit printed with newspaper headlines from Chanel’s era in Biarritz — referencing her remark that she “liked reading newspapers like men.”
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