Ever since it was announced in June that Chanel’s creative director, Virginie Viard, who took over the job from Karl Lagerfeld when he passed away in February 2019, was stepping down, the industry has been anything but quiet on the topic of who will next step into arguably fashion’s top job. The subject continued to come up all across Paris in the lead-up to the French house’s S/S 25 show, which took place today at the Grand Palais, the location of many a Chanel show since 2005, when Lagerfeld staged the brand’s first show there for S/S 06. When this morning’s show began, still no word had arrived about the status of the position. However, at that point, it didn’t much matter to guests, who were understandably distracted by 77 looks crafted by the brand’s Creation Studio.
Like at all of the major houses in fashion, the studio team at Chanel is not to be underestimated—ever. And the people in charge know it. According to The Guardian, Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, confirmed at the show that the studio team is already working on looks for shows in December and January. He declined to give any time frame for its next appointment, and after devouring the entirety of Chanel’s latest collection, we can understand why he’s not in any rush. Refreshing, airy, and ethereal—spring 2025 feels like a fresh start for Chanel, and the beginning of something that fashion should be very, very excited about.
Scroll down to discover all of the show’s highlights, including runway trends, A-list attendees, and viral performances.
A Return to the Grand Palais
The Grand Palais and Chanel runway shows are synonymous, but for the last few seasons, the brand has been forced away from its signature venue during its renovation. The building first opened in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition and was designed to house artistic salons following the event. And that it has. Since 2005, it’s held countless Chanel shows, transforming into a ski chalet, a supermarket, a spaceship landing pad, and the rooftops of Paris. Today, Chanel’s highly skilled set designers built a birdcage structure in the center of the space, with the brand’s signature CC markings molded into its metal columns.
According to a press release, the birdcage holds various meanings. “The story presented by the Creation Studio today is all about flying up in the air,” it reads. The birdcage was also significant to Gabrielle Chanel, who was gifted a much smaller version accompanied by a couple of birds by one of her seamstresses. Her very cage was later referenced in a Chanel fragrance commercial starring a young Vanessa Paradis from 1991.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
Riley Keough’s Swing-Set Performance
For the finale, Chanel ambassador, actress, and singer Riley Keough performed a rendition of “When Doves Cry” by Prince from a swinging perch inside of the magnificent, open-air birdcage in the center of the Grand Palais. For the performance, she wore Chanel from head to toe, specifically wearing a black tweed jumpsuit with a fitted bodice, white buttons up the front, and a long chiffon train, finishing off the look with metallic platform heels and sculptural silver jewelry. (The same look was worn in the show by supermodel Mona Tougaard.) Beneath the Daisy Jones & the Six star, models circled the runway in a mix of soft pastels, more vibrant highlighter shades, and timeless black and white.
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
Chanel’s Creation Studio
While Chanel searches for a new creative director to take over for Viard, its Creation Studio will be in charge of the collections, including this one. The studio presented a spring collection all about freedom and liberty, the press release explains. “The collection is a tribute to women who freed themselves from the cumbersome gaze of society, just like Gabrielle Chanel,” it states. We think of music-hall artist and literary figure Colette, to whom Gabrielle Chanel was a close friend, the garçonne movement that marked the Roaring Twenties, but also the aviatrixes who spoke out and helped change mentalities.” This inspiration manifested itself in aviator jackets, airy capes, flight suits, and uniform dresses. Always, though, the house’s codes remain, including quilted handbags, tweed suiting, and two-tone shoes (in the form of sky-high platforms).
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
Tweed, Chiffon, and Feathers Dominated
The thread of freedom and flight continued into more looks featuring delicate feathers and breezy chiffon, both of which were often accompanied by Chanel’s signature tweed. There were feather-trimmed hems, cuffs, and collars on tweed skirts and pantsuits, making the sometimes sleepy material appear youthful and fun. Chiffon capes ranged from short to floor-sweeping, making every look that included one just as visually stimulating from the front as the profile. Though Chanel’s classic black-and-white color scheme was present, the Creation Studio didn’t shy away from spring-ready shades either, including soft blues, pinks, yellows, and purples. Crochet and sheer moments only contributed to the delicacy and lightness of the entire production.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Chanel)
A New Ambassador for Chanel
With a new era comes a new face of Chanel in Lupita Nyong’o, according to WWD. The house named the Oscar-winning actress its latest brand ambassador after the S/S 25 show today, making their decade-long relationship—Nyong’o has long been considered a “friend” of the house—official. For the occasion, the star of A Quiet Place: Day One wore a knee-length tweed coat in black-and-white herringbone with black trousers and sparkly pumps. Keough, Margot Robbie, and Kristen Stewart are also ambassadors for the brand.
Other attendees included Naomi Campbell, Margaret Qualley, Whitney Peak, Jennie Kim, Maria Sharapova, and Phoebe Tonkin.
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Lupita Nyong’o
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Margaret Qualley
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Phoebe Tonkin
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Jennie Kim
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Whitney Peak
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Naomi Campbell
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
WHO: Maria Sharapova
