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Blazy’s Chanel Fairy Tale Continues with Whimsical Couture Show

A model presents a creation for Chanel for the Women Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on July 7, 2026. (AFP)
A model presents a creation for Chanel for the Women Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on July 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Blazy’s Chanel Fairy Tale Continues with Whimsical Couture Show

A model presents a creation for Chanel for the Women Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on July 7, 2026. (AFP)
A model presents a creation for Chanel for the Women Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on July 7, 2026. (AFP)

Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy delved into fairy tales as inspiration for his second Chanel Haute Couture show from "Jack and the Beanstalk" to "Goldilocks".

The 42-year-old has won rave reviews from fashion experts since being appointed in December 2024 to start a fresh chapter in the life of the venerable Parisian fashion house.

"Much like the story of (Chanel founder) Gabrielle Chanel, Matthieu Blazy's tenure at the maison writes itself like a fairy tale," Elle magazine's fashion editor wrote on Tuesday.

His first collections have been snapped up by buyers worldwide, helping the group report a slight rise in sales last year when many of its peers were struggling with lower demand.

For the Autumn/Winter Haute Couture collection, unveiled at the Grand Palais exhibition space in central Paris, Blazy sent out models against a backdrop of colorful flowers, climbing plants and magic mirrors.

The collection featured pieces with direct references to fairy tales: coats made to look as though they were crafted from straw, evoking scarecrows, and almost transparent dresses embroidered with climbing vines.

Other details, such as a handbag shaped like a sleeping teddy bear or a row of buttons showing a duck transform into a swan, hinted at other stories.

"I asked myself whether Gabrielle Chanel's life was a fairy tale. In her library I found the little book 'Les Fées, contes des contes' (which translates as 'Fairies, Tales of Tales' by Charles Perrault) and, together with the Haute Couture ateliers, we explored the idea of clothes that carry stories, like books," the designer said in a statement.

The model who opened the show was carrying a copy of Perrault's book.

Celebrities at the show included Teyana Taylor, Tilda Swinton, Pedro Pascal and Lupita Nyong'o.

-- Armani --

The show was one of the most eagerly anticipated of this haute Couture week, alongside Jonathan Anderson's presentation for Dior.

Anderson scooped his rivals for one of the biggest prizes in the fashion industry this year -- designing Taylor Swift's wedding dress for her ceremony in New York last weekend.

Another highlight on Tuesday will be the Armani show.

Following the death of founder Giorgio Armani in September 2024, his niece, Silvana Armani, took charge of the brand's Haute Couture collections.

In January, she presented her first collection, described as "classic Armani with a touch of originality", featuring fluid satin suits and luxurious evening gowns in a palette of black, white, nude pink and aqua green.

Wednesday's shows by Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier, both of which recently changed creative directors and were absent from the previous season, are also among the most eagerly awaited moments of this edition.

In total, 30 fashion houses will present their Haute Couture collections to Thursday, in a category of fashion reserved for a select group of brands whose creations are intended primarily for gala events and red carpets.

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Fashion

Chanel Unveils Tiger-Print Tweed and Sheer Skirt Suits in Spring/Summer Paris Show

Models present creations from the Spring/Summer 2027 collection of Chanel during Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 05 October 2026. (EPA)
Models present creations from the Spring/Summer 2027 collection of Chanel during Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 05 October 2026. (EPA)
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Chanel Unveils Tiger-Print Tweed and Sheer Skirt Suits in Spring/Summer Paris Show

Models present creations from the Spring/Summer 2027 collection of Chanel during Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 05 October 2026. (EPA)
Models present creations from the Spring/Summer 2027 collection of Chanel during Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 05 October 2026. (EPA)

Chanel showed see-through skirts and tiger-print tweed in creative director Matthieu Blazy's spring/summer 2027 collection on Monday as the Parisian fashion house rides a wave of enthusiasm that has helped drive sales even as other luxury brands struggle.

Since his first collection a year ago, Blazy's designs — injecting youthful glitter and loud color combinations into the Parisian label's traditional tweed suits — have attracted new customers to the brand and kept Chanel stores ‌buzzing with activity.

Front-row ‌guests including Dua Lipa, Nicole Kidman, ‌and Pedro ⁠Pascal arrived to throngs ⁠of cameras in the vast expanse of the Grand Palais. The glass dome roof was hung with a giant moon and a flock of luminescent seagulls, while the floor was laid in a Martian orange-and-green pattern in reflective resin.

Models emerged wearing skirt suits in sheer cream ⁠or black fabric embroidered with flowers and beads, ‌and in tweed loosened into a ‌wide windowpane print with mesh panels, or reworked in ‌an eye-catching red-and-white tiger print.

“Chanel felt as alive as ever,” ‌said Angélique Liautaud, womenswear buying and merchandising director at French department store Printemps. “The masculine wardrobe, the fluid dresses, the lingerie, the liberated body, brought a new sensuality to the house.”

Some skirts were sliced ‌into swinging panels, others were shortened into pleated mini-skirts paired with cropped jackets showing the ⁠midriff. Hems ⁠were frayed or finished with metallic beading.

Models sported new versions of the brand's two-tone pumps — in leopard print or tiger print with a cream toe, or baby blue and silver, while sandals were chunky with a large interlocking C logo in gold across the front. Quilted handbags came in black, burgundy, and white with a couple of wild variations in zebra print layered with clashing primary colors.

Blazy, known for soundtracking his shows to anthems from the 2000s, ran out to greet the crowd after the finale to the heavy synths of "Gimme More" by Britney Spears.

Fashion

Nike Plans More Job Cuts to Boost Sputtering Turnaround, Forecasts Steep Revenue Drop

People walk past a Nike store in New York City, US, April 2, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk past a Nike store in New York City, US, April 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Nike Plans More Job Cuts to Boost Sputtering Turnaround, Forecasts Steep Revenue Drop

People walk past a Nike store in New York City, US, April 2, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk past a Nike store in New York City, US, April 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Nike is deepening its restructuring under CEO Elliott Hill as its woes in China intensify, announcing a plan to cut more jobs and shake up its global business divisions after the sportswear giant projected a surprisingly steep drop in full-year revenue.

The tepid forecast on Thursday underscored that Nike's challenges will likely persist for at least several more quarters — especially in China, where sales tumbled 26% on a constant-currency basis in the first quarter — adding to investor unease about the pace of Hill's turnaround. Its shares fell 8.5% in extended trading.

The company has been working to revive growth during the first two years of Hill's tenure by refocusing on key sports such as running and by rebuilding relationships with wholesale retailers. But analysts say its worries have in large part stemmed from a failure to release enough new, compelling products, leading to an uptick in promotions and discounts.

"Our Nike performance business is not yet large enough to offset the pressure we're seeing in Nike sportswear, Jordan brand, and Greater ‌China," Hill said on ‌a post-earnings call. Reviving those weak areas of Nike's business "will take time," he said, pointing to a ‌deliberate ⁠reduction in the ⁠volume of Jordan retro launches.

The company, which also missed analysts' expectations for first-quarter revenue, unveiled changes to its operating model, including job cuts and a move to three geographic regions — Americas, Asia Pacific and Greater China, and EMEA — instead of four. It plans to open a new campus in India "with strong capabilities and access to talent."

Nike said the company does not yet know the number of roles that will be cut under the restructuring. It will begin notifying employees in 2027.

The program, building on previous rounds of layoffs, including one announced earlier this year, is expected to deliver about $2.5 billion in savings through fiscal 2031, with the majority set to be realized in fiscal years 2029 and 2030.

Nike expects its revenue to decline in the ⁠high single digit in fiscal 2027. Analysts, on average, estimate full-year revenue to drop about 2%, according ‌to data compiled by LSEG.

"There is nothing inherently wrong with the (restructuring) plans, but they do ‌suggest that Nike's current model is not really fit for purpose, which in turn raises the question of why these changes were not made sooner," ‌said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.

CHINA SALES PLUMMET, AGAIN

China, historically a profit-driver for Nike, has shown particular weakness in recent quarters ‌as international rivals and domestic sportswear groups gain traction. Investors remain focused on any signs of improvement, which analysts say will hinge in large part on local product innovation.

Sales in China have fallen for nine consecutive quarters, with the slowdown accelerating in the reported period. The region accounts for about 15% of Nike's annual revenue and is its third-largest market after North America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The company recently said that starting in January, it will pull ‌online sales rights from some of its biggest retail partners in China — a high-stakes bet that tighter control over pricing and distribution can revive its fortunes.

But the digital cleanup will take "multiple seasons," ⁠Hill warned on Thursday, adding that near-term ⁠revenue and profitability in China will take a hit.

Analysts have also questioned whether the abrupt measures, though likely to help Nike address rampant discounting, will convince Chinese consumers that they want what Nike is selling.

"Nike does not have a channel problem in China, but rather a product problem," BNP Paribas senior analyst Laurent Vasilescu has said in a research note, adding that he was surprised by the company's short timeframe to shut down online wholesale in China.

Sales in North America, Nike's biggest region, rose 2% on a constant-currency basis, in one sign of relative strength in the first quarter. Nike's performance business, specifically, contributed to the growth, benefiting from the World Cup, Hill said.

Adding to the company's challenges, French soccer star Kylian Mbappe ended a two-decade-long partnership with Nike in September and joined Swiss-based rival On.

Nike's quarterly sales fell about 4% to $11.21 billion in the first quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of $11.32 billion.

Its gross margin, however, rose 60 basis points to 42.8% in the quarter ended August 31, helped by lower warehousing and logistics costs.

Hill said Nike would update its targets through the fiscal year, beginning in November, as it works through the restructuring plan.

The company had withdrawn annual forecasts in October 2024 to provide then new-CEO Hill with some flexibility to assess its business.

S&P Dow Jones Indices removed Nike from the S&P 100 in September as part of a quarterly rebalancing after 18 years in the index of blue-chip companies.

Fashion

Stella McCartney Spotlights Climate Crisis with Ocean-Inspired Paris Runway Show

A model presents a creation by designer Stella McCartney as part of her Spring/Summer 2027 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
A model presents a creation by designer Stella McCartney as part of her Spring/Summer 2027 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
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Stella McCartney Spotlights Climate Crisis with Ocean-Inspired Paris Runway Show

A model presents a creation by designer Stella McCartney as part of her Spring/Summer 2027 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
A model presents a creation by designer Stella McCartney as part of her Spring/Summer 2027 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Stella ‌McCartney put a spotlight on the impact of overfishing and climate change on the oceans in her Paris runway show on Wednesday, unveiling a Spring/Summer 2027 collection of floaty fabrics, bubble hems and wave motifs.

Killer whales, sharks and dolphins featured on several looks, while models carried transparent handbags with sea creatures such as a starfish inside.

"The fishing industry is stealth, it's war, we're at war with the ocean, we're at war with the creatures that live ‌in there," McCartney, a ‌vegetarian, said after the show, adding that ‌she ⁠wanted people to ⁠ask themselves: "Sea life or seafood — what's my choice?"

McCartney's eponymous brand is known for using no leather, unlike most luxury labels, and for investing in more sustainably produced cotton, wool and other materials. Her handbags are made with leather alternatives produced from mushrooms or grape byproducts sourced from vineyards.

In ⁠the leafy gardens of the British ‌ambassador's residence, the show started with ‌a voiceover from British natural historian and broadcaster David Attenborough ‌saying: "We must open our eyes to what is happening ‌right now below the waves - we have drained the life from our ocean."

Models strode down a white runway in low-rise trousers with raised waves embroidered on the hips, tops with voluminous bubble ‌hems, and fluid, sheer blazers and shirts. The color palette also evoked ocean life ⁠with dresses ⁠in aqua and bright blue, and a coral trench coat.

McCartney, who bought her brand back from luxury giant LVMH at the start of last year, called on big luxury brands to invest in scaling up more sustainable materials like organic cotton or lab-grown wool.

"I think they all have good intentions, I just know that it would help me and smaller brands trying to come up and trying to work in this way, if the big brands just accepted a new way of working and a new supply chain," she said.