Happiness is a Butterfly. Chanel AW26

March 13, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s easy to disregard Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel if you judge it only by the photos on your phone. But after seeing his debut collection live last week in Paris as it arrived in the flagship boutiques – and witnessing the shopping frenzy that seemed to grip everyone there (I tell you, people were buying as if there were no tomorrow!) – I had a eureka moment. Blazy’s clothes and accessories, when touched, tried on, and worn, are so easygoing and full of optimism that it’s impossible not to fall for their charming allure. They instantly uplift the mood with their wit and effortlessness, which are woven into every painstaking detail.

With those joyful sensations in mind, I watched Matthieu’s sophomore ready-to-wear collection without the shades of skepticism that accompanied me six months ago, but with pure thrill. Yes, some elements of the collection – like tweed jackets turned into work-jacket proportions, or the 1920s-tinged dropped waists and flapper-esque ease – repeat motifs from Blazy’s first outing for the house, only subtly tweaked. But to fully shape an idea in the collective consciousness, you have to make sure it lands. The designer is building a new era – and with it, new codes.

Not that the collection lacked novelty. Some of the artisanal details made me gasp: skirt suits with “action painting” stitching; embroidered slip dresses so feather-light they were nearly transcendental in appearance; and, of course, the intricate clashes of textures, embellishments, and embroideries that made the garments look rich in substance yet somehow breezy and unpretentious. The final black dress, with its exposed low back punctuated by a camellia suspended between the shoulder blades, was simply a dream.

Backstage, Blazy quoted an observation that Chanel made to the French newspaper Le Figaro in the 1950s: “We need dresses that crawl and dresses that fly, because the butterfly doesn’t go to the market and the caterpillar doesn’t go to the ball.” Matthieu’s butterfly is certainly out of its chrysalis, flying high above us all, into the moonlight.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Lightness. Chanel SS26 Couture

January 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Matthieu Blazy’s debut Chanel couture collection was yet another triumph of beauty during these utterly mind-blowing days in Paris. The sense of haute lightness he managed to carry into this line-up – something one so often longed for during Virginie Viard’s tenure, and even at times during Karl Lagerfeld’s – is nothing short of unbelievable. Near-transparent organza trousers played trompe-l’œil with denim. Flapper dresses were so airy they seemed like mist. “Ghost” 2.55 bags floated like medusas suspended in air.

Blazy did not lean heavily on Coco Chanel’s biography; instead, he returned to her attitude toward “clothes for women to go to work, to go to a play, the cinema, whatever,” as he put it. The oversized mushroom setting at the Grand Palais? I loved Tilda Swinton’s interpretation: symbols of ideas that magically grow after the rain. And you could see just how deeply obsessed she was with the collection – her eyes truly went starry at the sight of the dégradé velvet pyjama in shades of royal blue.

Can we also take a moment to appreciate the black suits, finished with quartz buttons and striking brooches? Just incredible. So Chanel, 100%. This was an elaborate take on contemporary couture – one that makes you daydream.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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EXCLUSIVE: Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel Resort 2026

January 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Even though Chanel presented its resort 2026 collection last spring at a fashion show staged on the shores of Lake Como, the brand has now released an updated, tightly edited lookbook—one clearly marked by Matthieu Blazy’s very visible touch. It is a far cry from the post–Virginie Viard studio work: no more dorky-looking dresses that dominated the brand over the past few years. What emerges instead is a vision of a truly contemporary woman wearing Chanel.

Relaxed styles, conceived from morning to evening, revolve around the eternal little black jacket, worn either with a matching tweed mini-skirt or with flared jeans – naturally, with flats. Although the look is instantly familiar, the jacket’s lines feel sharper and cooler. A creased velvet slip dress, finished with a camellia brooch, appears easy and chic when paired with mid-heeled two-toned pumps. The super-soft cardigan-jacket in the creamiest shade of ecru? It recalls the best of Karl Lagerfeld’s finest collections, like the spring 1999 couture line-up where he did similar fitted styles with plunging necklines.

This lookbook, arriving under Blazy’s creative direction, reads as a smooth foretaste of his debut runway collection, soon to hit stores. The pajama shirt hints at the forthcoming Charvet collaboration, while the boxy grey suit feels like a simpler, more day-appropriate version of the show’s opening look. It is refreshing to see Matthieu Blazy’s vision of the Chanel woman outside the context of runway spectacle – just highly-aspirational ideas for how to wear the brand in 2026.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Bonkers. Chanel Pre-Fall 2026

December 3, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

And just like that – Chanel is back on track, baby. Matthieu Blazy’s sophomore collection for the French maison – and his first Métiers d’Art outing – is a confident step forward compared to the escapist debut we saw back in October. Blazy took New York’s subway by storm yesterday, orchestrating a life-affirming, uplifting, Lagerfeldian mise-en-scène. Yes, this one felt like one of the great Karl shows, pre–Grand Palais galore: simple, swift, witty. Real. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Debut! Chanel SS26

October 11, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Last season, everyone seemed to be asking the same question over and over again: “What do women want?” Whether designers provided the answers they needed remains unclear. This season, however, another crucial question arises for designers: are their clothes life-affirming? Does wearing this dress or that jacket offer the wearer an emotionally – or even spiritually – uplifting experience?

We’re living in a world where you can literally buy anything – and, amusingly, where anyone can call themselves a “designer.” That’s why those showing at Paris Fashion Week should truly consider: is this pairing essential? Am I contributing something meaningful, something with a genuine point of view, to an already overcrowded table? And perhaps most importantly: will this piece of clothing actually spark joy?

This brings us to the most anticipated debut of the season – among more than a dozen others: Chanel by Matthieu Blazy. This is a collection whose perception entirely depends on how you approach it. If you came expecting a pared-back, 1990s-inspired Chanel in the spirit of Karl Lagerfeld, then you were likely overwhelmed by the tactile exuberance of feathers, beading, and embroidery that Blazy – and the house’s métiers d’art – delivered. If you were hoping for a radical departure from Virginie Viard’s Parisian femininity, you might again be disappointed. That woman is still present – but she now looks far more contemporary, less of a cliché. And if you were a fan of Matthieu’s days at Bottega Veneta: bingo. His Chanel debut stayed within a familiar orbit (pun intended, given the space-inspired show setting), yet it was elevated by the unparalleled craftsmanship that only this house can offer a designer. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.