2018 was the last time Chanel touched down in New York City—Karl Lagerfeld’s final Métiers d’Art show, staged inside The Met’s Temple of Dendur. Fittingly, it echoed his first New York takeover back in 2006, when he brought the brand to Grand Central Station for a destination Cruise show. Chanel has ties to this city. Not only because of Lagerfeld’s fascination with the place, but also through its new designer, Matthieu Blazy—currently fashion’s golden child after an eye-wateringly triumphant debut two months ago—who worked in this city back when he was with Raf Simons at Calvin Klein.
It makes sense, then, why the designer would return to New York for his first Métiers d’art show. It made even more sense after witnessing what Blazy can actually do with an idea such as the New York City subway, which is where he chose to stage the show last night, safely underground and away from the biting cold and rain that fell upon Manhattan. Down in an abandoned subway station somewhere along Bowery and the J Z lines, guests like A$AP Rocky, Martin Scorsese and Margaret Qualley all congregated on the platform that millions of the city’s residents use daily. One by one, a procession of models emerged out of a subway car.
Chanel
Chanel
Blazy was reportedly inspired by the anti-hierarchical nature of the subway system. For $2.90, anyone can get pretty much anywhere in the five boroughs, creating a melting pot of people, archetypes, and characters to witness on a daily basis. This concept also played out in his designs. There were slouchy denim blue jeans with pullovers (some of the denim was actually a watery Lesage, and others were a classic American wash). The jean-wearing model was mixed in with a row of models in tweed suiting, one of which was rendered in leopard print (a fun twist for the house). Later, great gowns emerged with tulip skirts that looked like the airbrushed petals of a lily.
Chanel
Chanel
There was no shortage of Chanel’s historical motifs. The LBD was offered in multiple fonts, as was the Gabrielle-like flapper dress and the neat tweed suits. There were little fascinators and netted veils that felt reminiscent of Lagerfeld, as did the occasional pop of pastels. But the contemporary feel was pure Blazy, folded into the Chanel world so effortlessly. Sumptuous leather trench coats were belted over classic tweed prints. A taxi-cab yellow suit with neon and black splotches was worn with a matching bag. Pops of red were everywhere—in scarves tied around waists, crimson stoles, tall boots and blazers.
Puppies—or were they terriers?—glittered across a sequined evening suit. Nearby, an orange-and-black zebra-print dress caught the eye, as did a bedazzled “I Heart NY” T-shirt layered under a classic tweed set. One thing Blazy has been nailing is giving Chanel a sense of ease back. While yes, the glamorous moments are of no shortage, with striking black opera capes and plunge-neck chiffon and silk evening dresses adorned with intricate beads and feathers sweeping the makeshift runway, Blazy’s gift is conjuring a feminine effortlessness that has always underscored the house of Chanel.
Chanel
Chanel
I read this morning that the Belgian artistic director named the NYC subway system something that “belongs to all of us." I’d argue that at Chanel, Matthieu Blazy seems intent on making that same point.
