Chanel Builds Double-C Logo into Catwalk Set for Haute Couture

Models present creations by designer Matthieu Blazy as part of his Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2025 collection show for fashion house Chanel in Paris, France, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Models present creations by designer Matthieu Blazy as part of his Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2025 collection show for fashion house Chanel in Paris, France, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
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Chanel Builds Double-C Logo into Catwalk Set for Haute Couture

Models present creations by designer Matthieu Blazy as part of his Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2025 collection show for fashion house Chanel in Paris, France, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Models present creations by designer Matthieu Blazy as part of his Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2025 collection show for fashion house Chanel in Paris, France, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Chanel assembled a sprawling runway set in the form of its trademark interlocking C logo for its spring summer 2025 catwalk show, held on Tuesday at the Grand Palais in central Paris.

Models paraded a pastel-colored line-up of glittering dresses and tailored jackets along the white carpet of the sloping set, many emphasizing the shoulders, which were bulked up.

There were trim jackets with round, broadened shoulders, sheer dresses with piles of feathers, loosened sleeves and flouncy skirts, Reuters reported.

At the end of the show, the clapping audience hesitated a moment, seeming to mark the customary pause reserved for a designer's bow, before standing up and heading out into the blustery weather, Reuters reported.

Chanel has been without a creative director since the abrupt departure of Virginie Viard halfway through last year, with her task left to in-house design teams. The privately owned fashion house said in December Matthieu Blazy would succeed her in the role.

The choice of Blazy, who joins from Kering-owned (PRTP.PA), Bottega Veneta later this year and is credited with helping boost that label's recent success, signals a new approach for Chanel, famous for tweed jackets and No. 5 perfume.

The haute couture fashion shows in Paris run through Jan. 30 and feature some of the industry's best-known labels including LVMH-owned (LVMH.PA), Dior, Valentino and Jean Paul Gaultier.



Valentino’s New Designer Showcases History and Drama at Couture Debut in Paris

 A model wears a creation as part of the Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
A model wears a creation as part of the Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
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Valentino’s New Designer Showcases History and Drama at Couture Debut in Paris

 A model wears a creation as part of the Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
A model wears a creation as part of the Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)

Alessandro Michele’s Valentino couture debut was the most anticipated ticket of Paris Couture Week, and the designer didn't disappoint with a lavish spectacle at the Palais Brongniart, a fittingly historic backdrop for his past-meets-present storytelling.

Known for his “more is more” aesthetic, Michele delivered a VIP-filled show on Wednesday brimming with historical reverence, theatricality, and his signature offbeat twists.

Michele, who previously spent nearly eight years redefining Gucci with his eclectic maximalism, has long drawn inspiration from history. It's an obsession that traces back to his childhood in Rome, where he would rummage through his mother’s closet, captivated by the textures of bygone eras.

His tenure at Gucci transformed the brand into a powerhouse of layered nostalgia and offbeat opulence, making his appointment at Valentino — a house steeped in aristocratic elegance — both a natural evolution and a challenge.

His arrival was a significant shift from Valentino's former designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who was celebrated for his pared-down romanticism.

The opening look set the tone: a harlequin-patterned gown of enormous proportions, fusing the whimsy of the circus with regal splendor.

Full skirts billowed with 18th-century grandeur against a stark black runway, while ’70s-inspired ruffles added his distinctive vintage-inflected edge. A standout floral gown, evocative of Marie Antoinette, received the New Romantics treatment, a nod to the late ‘70s and early ’80s era that has long fascinated the designer.

Though the collection largely played to Michele’s strengths, with exuberance tempered by couture-level precision, some elements felt overdone. A polka dot jacket with an oversized bow veered into twee territory, an example of how his fondness for embellishment can sometimes tip into excess. Yet, the overall balance leaned toward refinement, with a relative restraint compared to his past work at Gucci.

Michele’s couture debut reaffirmed his reputation as a designer who finds beauty in historical excavation.