Why CHANEL and Kristen Stewart are a match made in tweed heaven

The essence of the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection is embodied via a short film starring the brand’s forever muse, Kristen Stewart. Six silhouettes imagined by the brand’s creative director, Virginie Viard represent the new direction for the luxury French house (and inclusive sizing seems to be one of them).

Remember the time when Kristen Stewart was the only guest at a Chanel show? Yes, not too long ago in the midst of the pandemic, filmed and released a YouTube video with Stewart sitting on a bench in a hall empty of all other people, except for the models. The show in question was its 2020/21 Métiers d’art collection at Château de Chenonceau in France. The show beautifully encapsulated the brand’s relationship with its brand ambassador, Kristen Stewart. A symbiotic relationship, where the French house not only sees Stewart as a showpiece but a collaborator. This synergy gets extended onto the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection.

The campaign for the collection comes in form of a short film starring the Oscar-nominated actress. The film showcases Stewart exiting a Paris cinema after watching 1961 classic “Last Year at Marienbad”. With Chanel, everything is interconnected and heavily referenced, and this connection is no different. Coco Chanel herself designed the costumes for the film where she created a dishevelled boyish look as well as some iconic evening looks. The vibe is recreated both in the film with Stewart’s costumes as well as could be seen on the runway for the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection. The film features six looks imagined by Virginie Viard which include a long sequinned white lace dress, a long dress in black or gold lamé, a black crêpe dress embellished with feathers, and a white tweed jacket. Each representative of Coco Chanel’s work as well as the current mood at CHANEL. “I think it’s important to burn down your very best yesterday, every day, so you can start again,” says the actor in the video directed by Dutch-American fashion photographer duo, Inez & Vinoodh. This analogy also alludes to the new collection which is a stroll through the world of CHANEL.

Bows, boas, rhinestone boots, jersey worked like scales, white jacket with sequins, deconstructed prints, pastel tweeds; gold dress in velvet panne, side slit black dress, flowing over the body; in lace, like a flower, or in light chiffon: the mood is fun, flirty and fabulously true to the essence of Coco Chanel. The Chanel suit and its various iterations are a running theme in the collection and one that also allows room for “diversity in body type and energy”, as Stewart eloquently puts it. A new direction for CHANEL that we are all excited to embrace.

All Images: Courtesy CHANEL.