Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2022 Ready-To-Wear Show Brought Back Runway Magic

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chanel

It is often said that fashion is the reflection of time, whether the clothing is a direct interruption of the current cultural climate or a call to the past for inspiration. For Virginie Viard of Chanel, the feeling of nostalgia played a significant role this season. Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2022 Ready-to-Wear show in Paris transported the audience back to the iconic catwalk culture of the 1980s, emphasizing the dynamic relationship between clothing, models, and photographers. “It’s a magical object [the camera] and a sexy gesture, which evokes so many memories,” recalls Viard in the show notes. “I used to love the sound of flashbulbs going off at the shows in the eighties when the models were on a raised runway. I wanted to recapture that emotion.” And, indeed, she did.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chanel

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chanel

To recreate the infectious runway energy, Chanel elevated the catwalk at the Grand Palais Éphémère, where the photographers would flood the surrounding sides for the perfect shot at the start of the show, synonymous with the late ’80s and early ’90s. Photography has always been at the pulse of the Maison’s DNA, Viard explains: “Karl Lagerfeld used to photograph the CHANEL campaigns himself. Today, I call upon photographers. I love the way that they see CHANEL. It supports and inspires me.” In fact, prior to the show, photographers Inez & Vinoodh produced a series of portraits of five women featuring five silhouettes from the collection imagined by Virginie Viard. Behind and in front of the camera, Lily-Rose Depp, Rebecca Dayan, Quannah Chasinghorse-Potts, Alma Jodorowsky, and JENNIE embody the intimate relationship between the photographer and the model—a relationship Lagerfeld cherished. 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chanel

From simple swimwear silhouettes in a sophisticated, contrasting black and white color palette and mini skirts paired with the iconic tweed jackets to the grand, colorful butterfly wings on chiffon, the Spring-Summer 2022 collection was undoubtedly Viard’s cheeky yet romantic vision of Chanel—and one that evoked the magic of the runway.

PORTRAITS BY INEZ & VINOODH