Chanel, what nobody tells you about the show
Instagram was so happy with Chanel, and more specifically with the Métiers d’Arts show, that even Spotify Wrapped was a bit overshadowed. This year, Chanel showcased her best of the best in New York. And not in a venue with ceilings to the sky, but in the New York subway. Raw, authentic, and embracing life, as Matthieu Blazy sees the Chanel woman, in all her forms.
The Inspiration Behind the Chanel Métiers d’Arts Show
“I wanted to create a kind of ‘happenstance,’” Blazy says after the show. “That feeling you have when you go to work in the morning and see all kinds of people in all kinds of forms, not knowing what to expect around the corner.’ Blazy himself lived in New York for a few years while working for Raf Simons and Calvin Klein. He also took the subway and was always fascinated by what he saw there, from children on their way to school to women in evening gowns and everything in between.
Subway Station 168, Bowery, New York
The abandoned subway station 168 Bowery was chosen as the location (if you ever happen to be there, make sure to grab a drink at the bar of the Bowery Hotel), and all the VIPs donned tweed and double Cs to be part of it. Kristen Stewart, Tilda Swinton, A$AP Rocky, Solange Knowles, Linda Evangelista, Jon Bon Jovi, to name just a few.
The Archetype of the Journalist and the Career Woman
For this Métiers d’Arts show, his inspiration was the archetype of a journalist from the seventies (hence the newspapers stuffed in bags) and the career woman from the eighties. We saw models on the go, on a mission. Coats over their arms (like our stunning Dutch Felice Nova), bags filled with ideas and work. Things to do, places to be, that feeling.
Chanel’s Métiers d’Arts: the craftsmanship of couture
The Métiers d’Arts show always takes place in December and always at a location that Coco Chanel had ‘something’ with. I once attended a Métiers d’Arts in Paris where her love for India was celebrated, for example. Coco, Gabrielle, Chanel traveled to New York in 1931, where she dressed celebrities. Matthieu Blazy is also in motion with Chanel. He brings the old along and adds the new. Like, how amazing, the *I love New York* T-shirt under a traditional Chanel tweed suit. I find it fresh, wearable, and innovative, although I see Matthieu Blazy dancing with impatience, and perhaps could bring a bit more line to a collection. I miss just a tiny bit a signature that characterizes the whole collection. But hey, everything is great and cool, so what are we talking about?
Why the Métiers d’Arts show is more important than you think
This Chanel show is not only special because it is held in the New York subway and there was a bizarrely high concentration of VIPs and VICs (Very Important Customers) present, but also because Chanel celebrates the craftsmanship of couture with this show. There are a number of houses that specialize in the specialties of the craft, such as Maison Michel (hats), feather workers, Lemarié (embroidery and tweed makers), and Massaro (shoemakers).
Look 28: The Hidden Masterpiece
I want to draw attention to look 28. At first glance, perhaps not very special: a skirt and a sweater. But zoom in on the skirt. This is made from loose pieces of tweed, incorporating skyscrapers, and that is what the skirt is made of. Amazing!
And now applause for Chanel
What is beautiful about Chanel is that they have bought all these specialized companies that were on the verge of extinction (because handmade is expensive and good luck finding people who are so skilled at it), you can read here about all the houses they have taken under their wing. These houses are also allowed to work for other brands, such as Dior and Valentino, but with their annual Métiers d’Arts collection, Chanel celebrates craftsmanship. Acknowledged, and for which tribute and applause.
Image: Spotlight / Chanel
