If you thought Chanel’s previously celebrated horse girl moment was where the brand hit its peak, then you clearly underestimated Virginie Viard and Xavier Veilhan’s creative wit. The Maison’s latest animal-tastic showcase at the Paris Haute Couture week is here to top it all up. From the forest-themed teaser to the menagerie of animals setting the mood for the Chanel Spring-Summer 2023 collection, the showcase was a treat to the eyes.
Immaculate collections, atypical looks, and daring concepts are three things quite literally synonymous with Paris Haute Couture week. And there is no surprise that all of these three terms were taken to heart at Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2023 Haute Couture showcase. With a stark aim to provoke an artistic dialogue and a sense of immediate attachment, the French house’s creative director Virginie Viard along with artist Xavier Veilhan presented a stylised bestiary, inspired by the universe of the house and his own. Taking the brand’s love for animals into consideration, Xavier Veilhan imagines a forest scene with puppies and horses as part of the collection teaser, followed by Vivienne Rohner emerging from a monumental bird sculpture right outside the emblematic Chanel address. Right before the collection strolled down the ramp the silhouettes left their traces at Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment where Rohner gives us a graceful glimpse of Maison’s intricate craft.
Chanel Spring Summer 2023 Haute Couture collection
Having said that, it seems like this wildlife scene came to life on the sets, courtesy of Xavier Veilhan’s menagerie of animals crafted from cardboard and wood. Veilhan’s creative wit revamped our memory of Charlotte Casiraghi riding on horseback to open the show in 2022, and turned it into models emerging out of life-size mobile animal sculptures. What began on an ivory note with a double-breasted coat swiftly turned into fuller skirts, trimmed silhouettes, and terrific tweeds. And just like every beautiful story demands a fairytale ending, a modern-day bride popped out from a hidden door in the elephant, donning a little white ivory tulle bustier dress with tiny doves embroidered all over along with gold boots, contributing to the chic and charming essence of the rest of the show. To sum it up, I think it’s safe to claim that Virginie Viard and Xavier Veilhan’s silhouette play was all about taking our wardrobes from sweet and short to chic and classy within a blink of a second, hence taking Chanel’s iconic status a cut above.
Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy Chanel.
Jhanvi Duggal
Lifestyle Writer
