By all logic, Chanel should be floundering. A global juggernaut without a captain, the house has been in a state of limbo since the abrupt departure of Virginie Viard, drifting toward an uncertain horizon while awaiting the arrival of Matthieu Blazy in the fall.
Yet against all odds, inside the majestic Grand Palais, Chanel did what it has done for a century: endure. And not just endure — dazzle. The VIP-filled fall show on Tuesday unfolded beneath a colossal swirling black ribbon, an audacious centerpiece that coiled toward the ceiling, defiant and theatrical. It was a collection that could have been rudderless, a placeholder lost in transition. Instead, it was sterling—refined, exacting, and utterly Chanel.
