Amid the grandeur of the Grand Palais, designer Matthieu Blazy created a vast fairytale garden, complete with a giant beanstalk reaching toward the ceiling and psychedelic flowers blooming across the runway. It was the Belgian creative director’s second couture show for Chanel, he chose to tell a story rather than simply present a collection of clothes.
A Fairy-Tale Book Found in Coco Chanel’s Apartment
The story behind the collection began with an unexpected discovery: an old, worn leather-bound fairy-tale book that Blazy found in Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s apartment. He brought the book backstage and shared that the discovery prompted him to wonder whether Gabrielle’s own life might have been a fairy tale—and whether she, too, had once climbed her own ladder in search of the golden goose.
This became the starting point for Blazy to continue the “imaginary dialogue” with the brand’s founder that he has maintained throughout his previous collections, while also freely branching off into his own playful and mischievous paths. Classic fairy tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, and the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz all left their mark on the intricate details and technical execution of the designs.
The “Tailleur” Atelier: From the Scarecrow to the Sunflower
At the tailleur atelier (the workshop specializing in structured designs such as jackets and suits), inspiration from the Scarecrow was transformed through the distinctive savoir-faire (exquisite craftmanship) of Haute Couture: raffia fibers (naturally sourced from palm leaves), were treated to resemble real straw, while the blue tweed woven by Lesage (one of France’s most prestigious haute couture embroidery houses), was given a texture reminiscent of denim, this is an ingenious and playful material illusion characteristic of Blazy. A delicate golden feather trim traced the contours of the jacket, while five jewel-encrusted buttons, each one-of-a-kind, together told the complete life cycle of a sunflower — from seed and tender bud to full bloom.
The “Flou” Atelier: Gabrielle’s Beige Reimagined for the Modern Era
At the flou atelier (the workshop specializing in soft, fluid designs such as skirts and dresses), craftsmanship takes a different form: each pleat of a skirt made from lightweight, loosely woven wool resembling cheesecloth is meticulously folded by hand, with layer upon layer carefully arranged to create the desired effect. In another design, strawberries and cape gooseberries are brought vividly to life by the Lesage embroidery house, evolving from initial sketches on paper to the final embroidered stitch.
Throughout the flou atelier’s designs, Chanel’s signature beige is reinterpreted in warmer shades of camel and oat. In terms of silhouette, details such as slip-in pockets and low-rise waistlines evoke a contemporary version of Gabrielle Chanel — more relaxed and free-spirited than the traditionally imagined image of the designer.
A Very Chanel Fairy Tale
The collection’s appeal does not come from directly recreating familiar fairy tales. Instead, Matthieu Blazy translates them into the fashion house’s own technical language, where a strand of fabric made to resemble straw, an embroidery motif depicting a strawberry, or a button that captures the entire life cycle of a flower becomes a subtle metaphor for this enchanted world.
This is also how he carries forward the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel — a woman who knew how to transform the simplest things into the ultimate expression of luxury, while continuing to establish his own creative signature as he embarks on a new chapter at this legendary fashion house.
