The Fairytale Of Chanel

For many of us, haute couture is a fairytale. From the savoir-faire, to the shows, the intricate sets, and the witnessing of supreme skill in action, the stories that are told via couture houses are enough for any fashionphile to enter a daydream state. Chanel has always been a house richly steeped in whimsical history, and since signing on to steer the maison almost one year ago, Matthieu Blazy is unfolding his version of the brand around a dreamlike fantasy.

Inside the walls of the Grand Palais this morning, the set for the Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026 was a tangled overgrowth of poisonous vines and flowers, arching over show seating and blooming along the walls, snagging chairs in its wake. Any of those who have watched the ‘Lord of The Rings’ will recognize the opening track, ‘Bag End’, which set the tone for the show as one that would be grounded in storybook-like imagery. The other thing that set the tone, was the model on the first exit, who wore a silk mousseline two piece skirt suit run up and down with guipure lace that both mimics the essence of Chanel tweed, and alludes to beanstalks as she carried a copy of Les Fées, Contes des Contes [Fairies, Tales of Tales], the book was apparently plucked directly from the shelf of Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment library. 

This was what it was all about for Blazy, who said in his show notes that he wanted to imagine Gabrielle Chanel’s life as a fairytale. Affectionately entitling the collection ‘Gaby And The Beanstalk’, the beloved Belgian designer used the idea of creating stories through the garments with the ateliers. They were all there, too. The beanstalk references, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, where three looks came out in fur-like textured hats and coats—or were they scarecrows? You could spot hints at the ‘Ugly Duckling’ through feathered shoulders of dresses and a shift that was embroidered with baby swans, a singular black one flying across the chest. Eggs formed the heels of slingback shoes, both golden and regular shells, while hunks of golden eggs sat on the shoulders of dresses. Tiny purses swung from the hands of models that looked like enamel magic beans.

If you read ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’ as a kid, you’d know that it’s about a child who starts with humble beginnings that takes on a big opportunity to improve the state of his life. While Blazy may have felt this way about Gabrielle Chanel—and he would very well be right—he could also be considered the protagonist of his own fairytale. Since sitting at the helm of Chanel, he has flipped the house on its head. It’s worth mentioning that Chanel recently topped the Lyst index for the first time (and not only because it was it’s first time on it), naming it as the hottest brand ranking for desire, demand, and discovery, and Blazy ensures that he ticks these boxes in spades. It’s no small feat to helm a house like Chanel and get it right so often, even if he had already cut his teeth at Bottega Veneta, and it seems that there is no shortage of imagination as he continues to play in this world of fantasy and whimsy. Part of this success can be attributed to the sheer joy Blazy captures as he builds out the Chanel world as his own. The Chanel woman has always possessed freedom and ease, but here under Blazy's guidance, she is not only the wearer of beautiful clothes, but her spirit is joyful, too. This is the real essence of Chanel, and for everything there is to "get" about the brand, Blazy has this one down to a science.

A few other notes on the actual clothes: I loved the recurring theme of pastel silk mousseline that returned again for Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026 after appearing in the Spring/Summer 2026 collection in toothpaste green, pale pink and flesh toned beige. Here it was lilacs and cornflower blue, all layered up. The Chanel bride is almost a sacred cow of the house when it comes to couture, and Blazy made the bold decision to show the look 13 exits before the finale, bringing the bride into everyday life, further leaning into this theory of marrying fantasy and functionality as he so deftly does at Chanel. Instead, the final look was much more on brand—a black cocktail dress—the other mantle of the house. The little black dress was arguably her most famed silhouette, and here it got the full finale treatment as if to say: the fairytale is what you make of it.