Seeing the world through Impressionist eyes feels very relatable this summer. Here in Paris, guests who arrived for the haute couture shows over the weekend look as if they’ve come down from a different planet. After the lockdowns, the retina hasn’t quite adjusted to the bright new light of day. At Chanel, Virginie Viard made the most of this once-in-a-lifetime sensibility. Set in the naked, grey courtyard of the Palais Galliera, her looks slow-motioned their way down the museum’s staircase, shimmering with an exhilarating lightness, brightness and freshness that embodied the post-pandemic elation many are experiencing this summer (and especially at the shows). “I love seeing colour in the greyness of winter,” Viard said. “I really wanted a particularly colourful collection that was very embroidered, something warm.”
Virginie Viard was inspired by Impressionism
Viard took her inspiration from the Impressionists – Berthe Morisot, Marie Laurencin, Edouard Manet – transforming the mood of their paintings into dresses and skirts through the form and surface decoration of haute couture. Carried by floral motifs, it created the eye-opening palette inherent to Impressionism, which didn’t feel out of place for post-pandemic times. Informed by pictures of Gabrielle Chanel clad in dresses from the late 19th century, Viard expanded her reference into silhouettes that looked as if they could have appeared in paintings from the era. Her Impressionist instinct – interpreted largely in daywear – made for a collection that didn’t just feel emotionally relatable but also relevant for a time of emergence, when even couture clients are looking for clothes that provide a sense of familiarity and reassurance, but also serve to elevate the mood.
It took place at the Palais Galliera
“It’s a pure haute couture collection,” Chanel’s fashion president, Bruno Pavlovsky, said before the show. “You have to feel strong to be able to present a collection in a place where, 10 metres away, you have the best collections of Mademoiselle Chanel. I hope that, in 50 years, you’ll see Virginie’s collections in the museum.” He was referring to Gabrielle Chanel: Manifeste de Mode, the exhibition the brand opened at Palais Galliera last September, which gathers more than 300 designs from the founder’s own hand, and celebrates Chanel’s collaboration on the refurbishment of the museum. For many of the house’s couture clients, who had made their way to Paris despite the travel difficulties, it was their first time experiencing the exhibition, which fell victim to Paris’s ongoing lockdowns.
Chanel is still being careful
Pavlovsky said the situation still isn’t easy for large parts of Chanel’s couture clientele. “The Eastern part of the world cannot join, and that will last for some time. But we have to continue what we are doing. We have no choice. We have to nourish and develop the brand.” Throughout the pandemic, Chanel has made no secret of its desire to return to runways and audiences, but while Pavlovsky was happy to be back in fashion week action, he wasn’t blind to the ongoing developments. “We still have to be quite careful because the situation isn’t over. We have to convince everyone to get vaccinated. You see what’s happening in England, in Portugal, all over. It’s important for us to be able to have this show, for sure, but we have to be clear: we don’t know what’s going to happen in October.”
The pandemic has opened Chanel’s eyes to new ideas
When Chanel presented its Métiers d’Art collection in Château de Chenonceau in December 2020, Kristen Stewart and Pavlovksy were pretty much the only guests in attendance. “It’s the first time I’ve had a show just for me,” he joked. But despite the empty seats, “Our collection in Chenonceau was the best launch ever in Chanel’s boutiques, in May and June, from a business point of view.” It’s the kind of lesson he is taking note of for the future. “It means that even though we don’t have an audience, the storytelling was quite powerful.” When it comes to haute couture, however, nothing beats the real deal. As the traditional Chanel bride turned her back to the audience, she threw her bouquet over her shoulder. It landed in the hands of InStyle editor-in-chief, Laura Brown, who gets to add that to her photo album of best-ever post-lockdown fashion moments.
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