Fashion

Paris Haute Couture Week 2025 took place from July 7 to 10, bringing together over 80 fashion houses and attracting approximately 600 professionals to the Grand Palais and Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The week has generated an estimated 30 million euros in global media coverage so far and cemented itself once more as the unrivalled stage for artisanal mastery and visionary design. Among its most anticipated events, the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture show dazzled on 8 July in a setting meticulously recreated to evoke the legendary 31 rue Cambon, the heart of Gabrielle Chanel’s couture empire.

In an atmosphere of hushed reverence, the Salon d’Honneur blossomed into a poetic reinterpretation of Chanel’s original salons, mirrored staircases, natural tones and poetic flourishes evoking wheat stalks that symbolise abundance. It was a collection that paid homage to heritage without sacrilege, guided by the studio team as Matthieu Blazy prepares to take the creative helm later this year. The result was both a love letter to tradition and a graceful bridge to the future of couture.

CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26: Themes and Creative Vision

The central theme of the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture show was a tender, lyrical reimagining of 31 rue Cambon itself. The set design, complete with mirrored staircases and pale natural tones such as ivory, ecru, brown, green and black, recalled Gabrielle Chanel’s original haute couture salons and her unwavering devotion to simplicity and refinement. Decorative wheat stalk motifs threaded through the collection, echoing Chanel’s historic symbols of prosperity, reinterpreted as delicate jewellery buttons and intricate embroidery that showcased the ateliers’ extraordinary needlework.

The CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 collection’s atmosphere was one of serene sophistication. Translucent layers of illusion tulle and trompe l’oeil tweeds created the illusion of weightlessness, as did the signature single pearl heels described by Chanel’s official lookbook. The palette was grounded yet luminous: creams and ivories contrasted elegantly with deep blacks, punctuated by metallic accents and whispering trails of gold and bronze thread. Together, they evoked a sense of quiet grandeur, a soft portrait of modern couture.

While this marks the last fully studio-designed collection before Matthieu Blazy assumes the role of creative director in October, the show is far from retrospective. It stands as a summation and a promise. The design house, under its current team, has asserted its mastery of craftsmanship, proportion, and narrative in this CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 collection. It is a couture statement rooted in the past yet pointed firmly at tomorrow. As star power filled the first rows, models floated in poetic reverence of Chanel’s codes, timeless pieces reinvented with modern sensitivity.

CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26: Best Looks and Exquisite Details

The standout looks combined technical finesse with poetic storytelling. One remarkable creation featured tiers of illusion tulle overlaid with subtle wheat stalk embroidery. The skirt’s volume floated around the model as if caught in a gentle breeze, complementing a fitted tweed bodice trimmed in pearl-encrusted buttons, a couture embodiment of Chanel’s emblematic symbols. This pairing of soft and structured elements anchored the collection in craftsmanship and narrative.

Metallic tweed ensembles shimmered under the Grand Palais lights. One two-piece suit in bronze woven tweed combined a cropped jacket with wide culottes, accentuated by oversized bows at the neck and waist. A model’s dramatic, bow-adorned satin halterneck gown in deep midnight black and ivory exuded a formal yet fluid elegance that captured attention, especially as it contrasted with the minimalist accessories on the front row.

Colours balanced the neutral tones with moments of surprise. Soft green tweeds evoked the Parisian gardens outside, applied to coats edged with wheat-stalk embroidery. In contrast, jet-black gowns were accented with metallic fringes or illusion sequins that caught every camera flash. One particularly memorable look was a crystal-spangled white minidress in layers of ruffles and rhinestones, which Gracie Abrams then wore in the front row, emphasising the collection’s versatility and star appeal.

In the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 collection, accessories were given equal consideration. Heels crafted from single oversized pearls brought sculptural elegance, while pearl and wheat stalk jewellery echoed the thematic embroidery. Even gowns with illusion transparency included embroidered crops of wheat stalk motifs, transforming the dresses into living landscapes. The result: looks that were visually stunning and intellectually layered, speaking to the couture connoisseur’s heart.

What to think about the show?

In my view, the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 haute couture presentation was a triumph of poetic restraint and artisanal brilliance. It refrained from shock or spectacle and succeeded through nuance, through an unwavering commitment to narrative and craft. As an expert, I appreciated how every stitch was loaded with meaning, with wheat stalks symbolising abundance, mirrored staircases evoking Gabrielle’s world, and a palette that felt at once grounded and ethereal.

This was couture as an immersive experience rather than a fleeting moment. It felt literary and cinematic. I was especially moved by how the collection expressed continuity: it honoured Chanel’s legacy without ever feeling antiquated. Instead, it felt alive, subtly powerful, quietly bold. The artistry of the tweeds, the whispered shimmer of illusion tulle, the sculptural gravity of pearl heels all spoke of an atelier at its highest level.

For fashion experts and lovers alike, the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 was couture that did not need shouting. It spoke in soft voices and stayed with you long after the show ended. The CHANEL Fall/Winter 2025/26 collection will be studied not just for its beauty, but for the depth of its storytelling. It sets a refined standard for what couture can and should be.

A‑List Front‑Row: The Stars at Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26

Paris fashion insiders weren’t surprised to see a galaxy of talent at the CHANEL Fall Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture show. The front row dazzled with a mix of timeless icons and contemporary influencers, all celebrating Chanel’s creative mastery and narrative elegance.

• Naomi Campbell appeared in a classic tweed two‑piece, her legendary presence reaffirming her enduring bond with the House  .
• Penélope Cruz glowed in a glittering two‑piece, bringing both glamour and gravitas to the Salon d’Honneur.
• Keira Knightley, accompanied by her husband James Righton, wore a dramatic tiered halterneck gown that radiated subtle sophistication.
• Kirsten Dunst opted for a vintage‑style jumpsuit—sharp and effortless, embodying modern French nonchalance.
• Gracie Abrams, a rising Chanel ambassador, stole hearts in a crystal‑embellished little white dress, proving couture can still pivot towards youthful freshness.
• Lorde brought her signature mystique in a sleek black dress with embellished heels, reinforcing her avant‑garde indie cool.
• Marion Cotillard added a breath of colour in sky‑blue tweed — a refreshing contrast in the predominantly neutral palette.
• Sofia Coppola, accompanied by her daughters Romy and Cosima, made the outing a stylish family affair, blending heritage with contemporary youth.
• Other notable guests included Laufey, Wang Yibo, Xin Zhilei, and Christine Alexandra Chiu, each bringing a global flair to Chanel’s Parisian stage.  

This constellation of celebrities exemplifies Chanel’s unparalleled fusion of global appeal and artisanal prestige. From iconic muses to fresh voices, each guest brought a personal style that reflected the show’s poetic sophistication, narrative depth, and universal allure. Listen below to the Haute Couture Conversations, a series produced by Chanel, and featuring Sofia Coppola discussing her long-standing connection with the House. The clip explores her personal history with Chanel, beginning with her first internship at 31 rue Cambon when she was just 15, and leads into her reflections on haute couture and the legacy of Chanel craftsmanship. It offers an intimate insider perspective on the emotional and creative significance of the Fall‑Winter  2025/26 couture season.

Last final words…

The CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture show felt like a gentle revolution, rooted in heritage yet quietly radical. Its dedication to the craftsmanship of 31 rue Cambon, expressed through wheat stalk motifs in embroidery and jewellery buttons, spoke to Chanel’s enduring symbols of abundance. The palettes and textures created a spectrum of emotions, ranging from grounding earth tones to striking metallics and rich blacks. This was couture that spoke the language of emotional intelligence and finely tuned taste.

Every detail of the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26, from single pearl heels to trompe l’oeil tweeds, whispered of ateliers confident in their mastery. There were no theatrics, no overly literal gestures. Instead, there was atmosphere and soul. Each look functioned as a line in an ongoing narrative, a quietly insistent statement of elegance and evolution. The show felt like a final kiss of farewell from the current creative team, and also a promise of what lies ahead under Matthieu Blazy’s leadership from October.

For the audience of industry insiders, designers and luxury aficionados, the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 was a masterclass. It reminded us that couture’s power lies not in excess but in resonance, in small revelations, in craftsmanship that transcends seasons. The CHANEL Fall-Winter 2025/26 collection is destined to become part of Chanel’s living archive, a model of how fine tradition and soft modernity can speak volumes.

In the ever-shifting landscape of fashion, the Chanel house has reaffirmed its centrality. Its impact will ripple through future collections and serve as a reference point. Like an old friend wearing something quietly extraordinary, it reminded us why we return to Chanel time and again. Timeless does not mean static, and in this case, it means inspired.

José Amorim
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