The theme, the unique inspiration declined from start to finish, is a practice that uses little in today’s fashion. The present is fragmented, moreover, and the creators follow suit; even in the high fashion, reign of a necessarily rarefied realism. The fashion show dand Chanel, housed in the grandiose spaces of a Grand Palace temporary, is a sum of elements whose conjunctions are not exactly clear. The set, designed by the artist Xavier Veilhan, is a spiraling and rising of curves on a sand floor.
The dream situation is amplified by the soft music of Sebastien Tellier, and is detonated by the opening of the show, with Charlotte Casiraghi walking the catwalk on the back of a splendid horse. Announcement of an equestrian-themed collection? No: the horse and its surroundings are property of the Hermès imaginary. Rather, the flow follows a rhythm made up of continuous diversions, a bit like a dream in which everything changes constantly. To hold together the fluctuating detour, the vaguely geometric touch of Virginie Viard, the creative director who is giving Chanel a new freshness, but perhaps not enough desirability. Here a delicate and feminine woman is celebrated. There is everything from Bakst-esque exoticism to 1950s cuteness, from 1920s linearity to 1930s frivolity, from tweed to broderie anglaise. The execution is flawless, and the notable pieces are certainly not lacking, but the lack of cohesion dilutes the impact.