The invitation for Matthieu Blazy’s sophomore haute couture show was a tiny book-shaped charm, threaded onto a silver necklace. On its cover, it read ‘Once Upon a Time’; inside, a sprouting bean was etched, evoking the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. By the time guests arrived at the Grand Palais yesterday morning, that magical bean had grown: around the edges of the space, enormous creeping vines had been erected as part of the show set, while vases and mirrors were sized up, Borrowers-style, for a giant.
Happily ever after: Matthieu Blazy’s haute couture fairy tale at Chanel
Blazy said the collection began with the discovery of a leather-bound book of fairy tales, Les Fées, Contes des Contes (Fairies, Tales of Tales), owned by the house’s founding couturier, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. Paired with a version of the house’s tweed suit, crafted from sheer mousseline, the book accessorised the show’s opening look, held in the model's hand. ‘I started to wonder, was Gabrielle Chanel’s life a fairy tale?’ said the Belgian designer, who began at the house in 2025. ‘I asked myself if, together with the haute couture ateliers, we could make garments that tell stories like a book.’
From this starting point, Blazy presented an A/W 2026 couture collection of wit and whimsy, where small details – like a row of buttons that moved from ugly duckling to swan – conjured childhood memories. The heel of a shoe was a golden egg; garments were adorned with fluttering butterflies and blooming flowers; while others appeared to be made from straw, evoking an altogether more contemporary fairytale, The Wizard of Oz. Throughout it all, these richly embellished looks were contrasted with moments of ethereal lightness: a series of liquefied gowns, with Romanesque drapes, recalled Gabrielle Chanel’s pioneering work in jersey; others came in delicate organza or guipure lace, a fabric that recurred throughout.
This, of course, was the work of the haute couture atelier, which is a fantasy factory of its own. Besides the construction of the garments themselves – which, by the time they are purchased by clients, will be fitted to their bodies, fairy godmother-style – this collection was a demonstration of the might of the house’s various craft métiers. Metalwork was a particular focus, not only in the various buttons – which also evoked characters like Puss in Boots – but the delicate chains which edged garments, some adorned with beads and charms (Blazy said he wanted it to appear like magpie has been at work). Other such details were hidden from view: keepsakes had been stitched into linings and pockets, a nod to the ‘private pleasures’ of haute couture.
Backstage, he asserted that Chanel was both a house of fantasy and function, and, amid the more embellished looks were some that were striking in their simplicity, like a structured tabard-style bodice and trousers, rendered in black, or the elongated black overcoat which followed. ‘[Gabrielle Chanel] climbed the ladder to find her golden goose, by making clothes for real women. Her clothes were never parodies. They were rooted in life,’ he said. ‘Chanel couture is not just about the big “wow”. Chanel couture is about the details.’
