Matthieu Blazy Brings a Sense of Fantasy to Chanel Haute Couture

Matthieu Blazy has been building his own Chanel world, leaning into the kind of imaginative storytelling long embedded in the house’s runway history. From his out-of-this-galaxy ready-to-wear debut to the bustling New York streets for the Métiers d’Art collection, a sense of fantasy has been taking shape. For his debut couture collection, he continues that imagination. Being creative director of Chanel is its own kind of fashion fairytale, and Blazy leans into it, introducing a Disney-esque teaser featuring animated birds, rabbits, and other woodland creatures drifting through the atelier.

The show was presented inside the Grand Palais, where the runway was set among towering sculptural mushrooms and trailing willow forms, all washed in soft shades of pink that brought a sense of whimsy to the space. The effect was light and subtly surreal, a natural backdrop for a collection centered on movement, delicacy, and emotional ease.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chanel

Blazy’s haute couture collection for Chanel looks inward, using lightness, craft, and movement to reframe the house’s most familiar codes for Spring Summer 2026. The collection opens with a softened interpretation of the house suit, rendered in sheer silk mousseline and pale, almost weightless layers. Tailoring is intentionally pared back, allowing transparency and construction to come forward. The effect is delicate but precise, with garments designed to move easily on the body and reveal their craftsmanship in motion.

Throughout the collection, surfaces feel personal. Embroidered details and small symbolic elements appear tucked into linings, pockets, and chains, gently blurring the line between interior and exterior. These quiet gestures give the clothes an intimacy that feels lived in rather than precious. The tailored looks emphasize cut and proportion, particularly in deep black looks that spotlight the skill of the ateliers, before giving way to softer, more fluid silhouettes shaped through draping and layered construction.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chanel

Avian references surface gradually, felt more in texture and movement than in overt decoration. Pleats, woven surfaces, and layered fabrics echo the suggestion of plumage as the clothes shift on the body, bringing lightness to even the most intricate pieces. As the collection moves from restraint toward richer surface work, it finds a balance between control and imagination. The impression is fleeting but confident, precise without feeling heavy.