Virginie Viard‘s autumn-winter 2023 collection for Chanel was her best haute couture moment ever. It was just so charming, effortless and simply beautiful. Inspired by a Parisian allure, the collection unveils a portrait of a delicate yet bold femininity. But the creative director also managed to present couture in a new, refreshing light. Lead by Caroline De Maigret, the models strolled nonchalantly in their block-heeled Mary Janes, just as if wearing haute couture to walk the dog or pick up some flowers at the market were most the most normal thing in the world. Showed on the riverbanks of the Seine, the garments were adorned with embroidered fruits and flowers motifs reminiscent of the still-lives dear to pictural arts. Silhouettes played with masculine codes, mixing together rigour and asymmetry, a self-confident and discreet figure. Among them was a navy flecked tweed coat dress which stood out because of its edging of pale chiffon ruffles because what you’re also craving to see at Chanel haute couture is the wonder of its savoir-faire. These techniques need to be seen close up, and explained in detail to understand the skills, the hours and the arcane refinements of the materials. At a distance, some of it did shine out across the quai: the gilded, patinated surface of a skirt suit, the 3D chiffon flowers in a dress glimpsed inside a plain coat, more flowers embroidered in multicolored sequins on the eveningwear. In the finale, a pale café-au-lait chiffon party dress was lightly whipped into ruffles at the neck and finished with a black bow – a youthful confection that could only come from the Chanel’s atelier flou.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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