<\/p>\n
\n\tChanel returned to New York on Tuesday with its annual M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art collection show \u2014 the first for the house\u2019s artistic director Matthieu Blazy. It was a cinematic experience that captivated the heart of the city, propelled Blazy\u2019s continued strong vision for the house and displayed the expertise of the Chanel artisans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tDowntown, below 168 Bowery \u2014 literally in the abandoned train platform at the Bowery stop, where Tom Ford staged his spring 2020 show \u2014 guests including brand ambassadors A$AP Rocky and Margaret Qualley, Tilda Swinton, Kristen Stewart, Solange, G. Dragon, Jessie Buckley, Linda Evangelista, Dapper Dan, Charlotte Casiraghi, Rose Byrne, Riley Keough, Jon Bon Jovi, and many more hopped aboard the \u201cC\u201d train as subway sounds rumbled on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis is my stop, the Chanel stop,\u201d quipped actress Jenny Slate, seated front row in a tweed jacket and khaki slacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019m so happy to be here. I take the subway a decent amount and it was my fantasy of every outfit and every rendition of a woman that I am \u2014 sometimes I\u2019m a mom, sometimes I\u2019m fabulous in a ballgown, and I\u2019m on the subway,\u201d Emily Ratajkowski said of attending her first Chanel show. \u201cI\u2019m inspired to go home and try to copy the looks that were in it. The translucent raincoat with the sequin cheetah underneath \u2014 I loved the patterns and color.\u201d<\/p>\n
Above ground, Chanel clients dressed to the nines, celebrities and the fashion crowd weathered the pouring rain through multiple security checkpoints around the southwest corner of Kenmare Street and Bowery. Once inside and down the stairs, the underground Chanel platform mixed Paris, downtown New York and everything in between.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAhead of the show, the subway also played an important role, alongside Qualley and A$AP Rocky, throughout Michel Gondry\u2019s romantic comedy-tinged short film while the house\u2019s custom \u201cLa Gazette\u201d newspaper \u2014 featuring interviews with Blazy, profiles of the artisans within the Maison d\u2019Art, puzzles and more \u2014 served as part of the invitation suite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve been on the subway many times but I\u2019ve never seen it like this. It was so glamorous, so New York and gorgeous,\u201d Qualley told WWD post-show. She added that working with Gondry and A$AP Rocky on the show\u2019s teaser short film was a cool way to be part of the show.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe collection is very character-driven,\u201d Blazy\u2019s interview read \u2014 citing a \u201870s journalist and an \u201880s businesswoman as inspirations, along with when Gabrielle Chanel first traveled to America in 1931 to create costumes for the cinema plus contemporary personalities \u2014 spanning \u201cfrom kids to students to world leaders,\u201d ballgown-clad opera goers and a singular costumed \u201cSpiderman\u201d he\u2019d come across during one of his subway rides downtown from Times Square during his years working in New York for Calvin Klein and Raf Simons from 2016 to 2019.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe collection also featured Chanel\u2019s very own \u201cClark Kent,\u201d with a blue, red and yellow graphic sweater peeking out beneath a strong-shouldered plaid blazer and brown slacks, as well as a stellar fringed skirt crafted from sparkling upside-down Empire State buildings.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWhen [Chanel] went back to New York, she went downtown and saw women who were not from the higher class who had adopted the Chanel style \u2014 it was not Chanel, but it looked like Chanel. When she returned to Paris, suddenly she had energy again and continued to design,\u201d Blazy said post-show. This inspired him to take on the artifice of a cinematic lens \u2014 slightly exaggerating or loosening up silhouettes, as done with costume wardrobes, but in an entirely modern, wearable way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe show opened with models emerging from an incoming train car, making their way along the subway platform as any New Yorker would. Post-show, Blazy said he was interested in the city\u2019s subway because it\u2019s where every sector of society \u2014 from students to musicians to game changers \u2014 interacts. A one-of-a-kind place that displays no hierarchy and here, with loads of glam.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI like the idea of doing a show where nothing is linear. I wanted to create a kind of happenstance \u2014 what we see every morning when we go to work and you don\u2019t know what\u2019s gonna be at the corner. Everyone is invited,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s directly playful, this show.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe show spanned eras \u2014 from \u201820s beehive hairdos to \u201880s power suiting, with ample animal prints, inspired by the wardrobe of Gabrielle Chanel, in the mix. Here, striking tweed jacket and skirt sets came in hand-woven leopard motifs \u2014 noted to be a new technique \u2014 while silks were designed to resemble her admiration for Astrakhan fur. There was even an intricate tweed-ified version of the 1931 film poster for \u201cTonight or Never,\u201d which Chanel designed the costumes for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt was also the idea of what Gabrielle made that would still be relevant for today,\u201d he said of his \u201cstudent,\u201d clad in a light blue denim-looking set that was crafted out of silk using a technique from the \u201820s. The emphasis throughout the collection, especially the tweeds, was to make them light and airy \u2014 a quality that extended into his upped ante of occasionwear, which spanned from shimmering ombr\u00e9 dresses to floating ballgown skirts crafted out of giant, animalia frayed \u201cpetals,\u201d worn with turtlenecks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tLuxed-up knits and American sportswear were front and center, too, while the idea of \u201cintroducing a new classic\u201d stemmed from new boucl\u00e9 check flannels with chains on the hemline \u2014 \u201cthe story of Pendleton in America \u2014 what would be that version of Gabrielle,\u201d Blazy explained of his interest in the fabric.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt was quite important to be back with another energy, another way to look at the city, another understanding than the one we had in December \u201918. it was the end of something. It was important for Karl,\u201d Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, said of returning for its M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art show after seven years, when Karl Lagerfeld held his M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe annual collection celebrates the capabilities of Chanel\u2019s specialty ateliers and artisans, from Rue Cambon ateliers to the le19M workshops \u2014 including feather workers, flower-makers, goldsmiths, shoemakers, milliners, glove-makers and tanners, embroiderers and more. Since its launch in 2002, the traveling show has globe-trotted annually, most recently to the likes of Hangzhou, China; Manchester, England, and Dakar, Senegal.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cHere with Matthieu, it\u2019s the beginning. So the difference, it\u2019s another way to look at the city. Now we\u2019re in the Lower East Side and before, we were in the Upper East Side. Everything is opposite, and that\u2019s part of New York,\u201d Pavlovsky continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tBlazy\u2019s second show for the house proved successful with its balance of chic, stealth and aspirational dressing, with moments of playfulness seen through dramatic feather decorations, vibrant colors, coffee cup-accented handbags and a delightful shimmering set covered in dogs\u2019 faces. \u201cBecause you have two accessories in New York: a dog and a coffee cup,\u201d Blazy quipped, displaying his knack for bringing the polish of quintessential uptown Chanel to the vibrant energy of downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAt Chanel, with Matthieu and before Matthieu, we love to travel,\u201d Pavlovsky said. \u201cI think it\u2019s quite important to be able to go where our clients are. This idea of being connected daily, to go where they are, where they live, whatever happens, it\u2019s something which is super important. And Chanel being a global brand, it\u2019s part of our job to connect, to travel, to go everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAs seen by the insurgence of other global luxury players \u2014 Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Moncler \u2014 converging on the U.S. with runway shows planned Stateside in the coming year, it\u2019s clear European brands are resonating with the U.S. consumer. Pavlovsky explained that of course, the U.S. \u201cmarket is number one\u201d for the brand, but if asked about Korea, China or Japan, \u201cit\u2019s the same.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tPavlovsky said in the U.S, \u201cready-to-wear is flying.\u201d Categories, too \u2014 specifically bags \u2014 are \u201cstrongly back,\u201d and the company is benefiting from the strong economy, he said. As for price resistance, Pavlovsky said his view is about designing and manufacturing the right product at the highest level of luxury with the right \u201cknow-how\u201d and artisanal teams, and imbued with desirability and emotional posture for their clients \u2014 selling products that reflect the work that is behind them.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s quite interesting, as soon as the collection got stronger, we didn\u2019t have questions about pricing. When you start to have questions about prices, for me, it\u2019s about what do we do? Are we in the right direction? What do we have to change?\u201d he explained.\u00a0 \u201cThe point is we need to continue to have the best product. It\u2019s true for Chanel. It\u2019s true for the luxury market because what is making the difference is the perceived quality, perception of this product, and that\u2019s what is making the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tJust two weeks ago, Chanel unveiled its new two-level boutique at Bloomingdale\u2019s flagship, but Pavlovsky pointed out that the New York-set show is \u201cso much bigger than that,\u201d which also includes seeing and understanding ambassadors\u2019 vision of the brand.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe are a beholder, and we have to embrace the world and our clients everywhere. We are not going to New York to try to do or to duplicate some things that we can do in Paris or in Tokyo. We\u2019re going to New York because we want to be part of the city, the vibe, the energy of the city. Everything we\u2019re doing is linked with the city in a very free interpretation that\u2019s Matthieu\u2019s interpretation, Chanel\u2019s interpretation,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chanel returned to New York on Tuesday with its annual M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art collection show \u2014 the first for the house\u2019s artistic director Matthieu Blazy. It was a cinematic experience that captivated the heart of the city, propelled Blazy\u2019s continued strong vision for the house and displayed the expertise of the Chanel artisans.\u00a0 Downtown, below 168 Bowery \u2014 literally in the abandoned train platform at the Bowery stop, where Tom Ford staged his spring 2020 show \u2014 guests including brand ambassadors A$AP Rocky and Margaret Qualley, Tilda Swinton, Kristen Stewart, Solange, G. Dragon, Jessie Buckley, Linda Evangelista, Dapper Dan, Charlotte Casiraghi, Rose Byrne, Riley Keough, Jon Bon Jovi, and many more hopped aboard the \u201cC\u201d train as subway sounds rumbled on.\u00a0 \u201cThis is my stop, the Chanel stop,\u201d quipped actress Jenny Slate, seated front row in a tweed jacket and khaki slacks.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so happy to be here. I take the subway a decent amount and it was my fantasy of every outfit and every rendition of a woman that I am \u2014 sometimes I\u2019m a mom, sometimes I\u2019m fabulous in a ballgown, and I\u2019m on the subway,\u201d Emily Ratajkowski said of attending her first Chanel show. \u201cI\u2019m inspired to go home and try to copy the looks that were in it. The translucent raincoat with the sequin cheetah underneath \u2014 I loved the patterns and color.\u201d Above ground, Chanel clients dressed to the nines, celebrities and the fashion crowd weathered the pouring rain through multiple security checkpoints around the southwest corner of Kenmare Street and Bowery. Once inside and down the stairs, the underground Chanel platform mixed Paris, downtown New York and everything in between.\u00a0 Ahead of the show, the subway also played an important role, alongside Qualley and A$AP Rocky, throughout Michel Gondry\u2019s romantic comedy-tinged short film while the house\u2019s custom \u201cLa Gazette\u201d newspaper \u2014 featuring interviews with Blazy, profiles of the artisans within the Maison d\u2019Art, puzzles and more \u2014 served as part of the invitation s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}