Chanel showcased its haute couture collection at the Paris Palais Garnier Opera House on Tuesday. The models walked out of the tiny doors of the historic building’s private boxes and marched down the corridors, where the audience sat on plush red chairs beneath a low, mirrored ceiling. They paraded fitted coats, bustier dresses with cinched waists, and jackets covered in bows; the sandals were open-toed and had short, pearl-encrusted heels.
The event concluded with a conventional bride dressed in a train that followed behind her floor-length gown with large, puffy sleeves.
The exhibition took place as the French luxury brand prepares for a design makeover and moves into a transitional phase after the unexpected announcement earlier this month of the departure of longtime creative director Virginie Viard. Viard had worked with Karl Lagerfeld for decades before taking over as his successor after his death in 2019.
The departure of Viard has sparked a lot of conjecture regarding the next person to occupy the most coveted designer position in the business.
The location on Tuesday also represented a change for Chanel, which usually hosts its events at the glass-and-steel Grand Palais building in the French capital as well as a temporary replacement facility beneath the Eiffel Tower while it undergoes renovations.
This week’s Paris haute couture shows, which run until June 27, have appearances from Christian Dior, LVMH-owned (LVMH.PA), and Thom Browne, a division of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group.
