Grey hoodies layered under the pastel tweed suits, a catwalk on top of an apartment building with concrete benches instead of gilt chairs, looking out over the rooftops of Marseille, France’s less manicured second city. Chanel has – in fashion speak – a New Look. In the parlance of 2024, it is in its gritty era.
“If Marseille is unexpected, that’s good. We don’t want to be stuck. We need to take risks if we want to show that Chanel is for everyone,” said Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, before the brand’s first ever show in the city. “If we were just for the happy few in the Rue Cambon [in Paris], then that would be the beginning of the end.”
