Chanel’s 2021 Métiers d’Art Collection Merges Modernity and Antiquity

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From Silk gowns and embellished bustiers, to lean black coats and the house’s signature tweeds, Chanel’s latest collection is unveiled amidst the regal backdrop of the Château de Chenonceau . With France going into lockdown for the second time, the brand’s Creative Director, Virginie Viard was forced to revise the show, but she sure did deliver.

Viard, as she explained, took inspiration from Lagerfeld’s fall 1983 trompe l’oeil “shower” collection for Chloé that featured embroidered faucets and showerheads spouting crystal water sprays. Her own playful trompe l’oeil, developed with the inventive embroidery house of Montex, reimagines the castle in Lego-like sequin bricks, used as cummerbund sashes that cinch the waists of full satin ball skirts worn with fragile organza blouses flourished with some of those Catherine de Medici–via–Coco Chanel ruffled collars.

Known as the Ladies’ Chateau, the French castle owes it’s reverence and elegance to a succession of powerful women. Chenonceau was home to many prominent (and very fashionable) French ladies, including noblewoman Diane de Poitiers and Queen of France Catherine de’ Medici. The Loire Valley jewel was transformed into a stage this season fortuitously littered with de’Medici’s interlocking C’s throughout the property linking the iconic French house and the property across eras. Through the lens of renowned photographer Juergen Teller, the entrancing garments imagined by Viard came to life giving nod to Renaissance-inspired fashions such as ruffed collars and billowing bouffant sleeves.

For the Métiers d’art collection, Viard wanted to showcase the exceptional workmanship of the 38 various Maison d’art suppliers that Chanel has acquired through recent years in order to preserve their skills, from pleaters and button makers to milliners and embroiderers (11 of these crafts houses will be consolidated in the brand’s new 19M hub, opening soon in the north of Paris).

Unlocked by invitation only, the exclusive content features Teller’s photographs of the architectural masterpiece, which will soon be available in a coffee-table book, alongside audio snippets exploring the history of the place.

Something of a fairytale, the otherworldly shoot involved a team of 300, including one VIP guest: Kristen Stewart, who will grace ads for the collection photographed by Teller. Other actors had a more discreet presence, narrating the ethereal clips; Keira Knightley in English, Penélope Cruz in Spanish, and Anna Mouglalis in French.

The collection embodies its lavish surroundings, as sleek silhouettes paired ruff collars and bouffant sleeves radiate a modernized Renaissance swagger.

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