Matthieu Blazy has launched his first collection for Chanel, finally reimagining the house’s now well-outdated and insufferably predictable formulas that have been dragging their heels since the death of daddy Lagerfeld. Having been appointed for the position in 1983, and remaining there until his death in 2019, beloved Karl Lagerfeld not only revived the house but transformed it into one of the most recognisable fashion brands globally.

The acrimonious reception of his successor Virginie Viard was in some ways to be predicted following the long shadow cast by her predecessor, who famously described her as “my right arm … and my left arm”. Her collections were invariably described as “boring” and “predictable” even despite the rise in sales, ultimately leading to her inevitable exit in June 2024.

Now, four months into the house’s fourth ever appointed creative director, Matthieu Blazy – the former creative director of Bottega Veneta – oversaw his first collection with the iconic house.

Set against a cosmic constellation of suspended glowing planets, the collection boasted impressive craftsmanship of pretty clothes with kaleidoscopic feathers and leathers, dropped waistlines and plaid.

“I love everything that is above: the sky, the moon, I believe in the stars”

With the gloss-lacquered runway and obnoxiously large planetary spheres hanging from the roof of the Grand Palais, one has to wonder whether the celestial imagery signifies anything beyond aesthetics. According to Blazy, the collection was inspired by “the universe of stars, a theme so dear to the House. We all observe the same sky, and I think it provokes the same emotions in us.” After all, as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel has been quoted saying, “I love everything that is above: the sky, the moon, I believe in the stars.”

Our interaction with the world is, of course, positioned entirely according to our relationship with those shiny clustered things hanging from the sky. They inform our everyday life, our language, and religion, they have inspired myth and science, art and music. Blazy’s collection is perhaps less inspired by the stars and more by his previous collection at Bottega Veneta. As fashion critics online have been quick to point out, the new collection feels eerily sequential to the French-Belgian designer’s last collection (Bottega SS25). Shaggy hats, squared cap toe shoes, easy tailoring, and muted rainbows were features of both.

“With the constant reimagining of Chanel classics, they are yet to find a new creative vision that is genuinely novel while remaining genuinely Chanel”

Bathed under the light of colourful planets, one might have expected a riskier, more explosive cosmic imagination. Yet Blazy chose to focus on the same-ness of the sky, and the same-ness of our emotions, which has inevitably produced the same relaxed tailoring and textured prints that he presented at Bottega Veneta SS25, now rebranded as a hark back to Coco Chanel’s original vision for the house. What’s more, is that Bottega’s SS26 collection, now under the stewardship of English designer Lousie Trotter, presented a better sequel to Blazy’s collection than Blazy’s new collection.

With the constant reimagining of Chanel classics, they are yet to find a new creative vision that is genuinely novel while remaining genuinely Chanel. It seems that the Chanel-ness of the brand is at odds with novelty and ability to appeal to younger generations. The unchanging backdrop of the fixed stars, and planetary spheres might suggest that there really is “nothing new under the sun”. Blazy’s collection offered what was probably expected of him: exactly what he was doing at Bottega. The clothes are nice, but not exciting as mainstream media has seemingly made out. His debut is potentially promising, though perforce still stuck in the still and lifeless moonlight that has haunted Chanel for several years now.