Chanel Pays Tribute To Its Iconic Camellia With Fall Collection

A lot of lore is wrapped up in the Chanel Camellia surrounding its raison d’etre as the flower Coco preferred. Was it the lack of scent allowing her No. 5 perfume to overpower? Or because it was featured in a Sarah Bernhardt play the designer favored? Or Marcel Proust’s habit of wearing it on his lapel? Or because her paramour Boy Capel was said to bestow them on her? Whatever the reason, it has become synonymous with the house as one of its core design codes. This season, Virginie Viard explored the winter-blooming fleur channeled with glimpses of a mod-Sixties mood.

That was evidenced by the film by Inez and Vinoodh that greeted guests upon entering the show space in the Grand Palais Ephemere on Place Joffre, the temporary exhibition space the brand is using while it helps finance the restoration of the Grand Palais in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The black and white film inspired by William Klein’s 1966 quintessential fashion film, “Qui êtes-vous Polly Maggoo?” features Nana Komatsu as a Peggy Moffit-looking model who inspired the character, Polly. (Moffitt appeared in the film as herself.)

The Camellia and film continued to the center of the roundabout staging, which featured several two stories high white camellias in the center of the stage that projected the film, zeroing in on the models’ Mod-inspired look while the models paraded the runway below it.

It set the tone of the collection that leaned heavily on the house black and white codes, adding to the groovy Sixties look with miniskirts, white tights and Go-Go boots, checkboard tweeds, patent leather dressings, bouclé, sequins, and, of course, the Camellia, which was imagined several ways.

The flower became a pattern on bouclé, silk and even transformed into black or white lace (incredibly captivating on some of the stand-out dresses towards the show’s finale). The flower was also present on a graphic B & W pattern on a minidress, or as sequined designs on knits, or playfully placed on knits and suiting in an abstract polka dots pattern; Viard seemed not to exhaust the umpteenth way the flower could adorn the collection.

There is never a shortage of lower-half options chez Chanel, and this show was no exception. While the origins in terms of the house are not crystal clear, Viard loves to explore bottoms of all kinds. This time gauchos, knickers, palazzo pants, bike shorts, flared-leg jumpsuits, and bloomers prevailed. It does challenge the notion of who can wear these successfully. In other news, the runway was also notably size-inclusive.

A point of on-trend interest was the asymmetrical hemlines on several day-to-night dresses. And once more, evening creations allured with shine, sequins, and tulle, often with tiered features.

The collection had pops of colors that, in pink, red, and burgundy shades, could mimic the flowers’ other incarnations. To demonstrate, the massive white camellias turned all shades of crimson during the show’s finale displaying the couture level of production guaranteed at a Chanel show. To drive the point home, guests were also gifted perfume and a lip and cheek balm from the brand’s recent eco-centric beauty line Chanel No. 1, which features red camellias as an ingredient.