If there was one encapsulating feature of the SS27 collections, it was erudition. Everyone from Miu Miu to Valentino hopped onto the trend of filling their shows with literary references and high-brow programming, with somewhat varying success. But to set a collection inspired by de Maurier’s The Birds against a soundtrack spanning Britney Spears, A-ha and an enchanting reading of Woolf’s Orlando by, who else, Nicole Kidman? Only Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel could get away with that. 

Since his debut at Chanel only a year ago, Blazy has energised the house beyond all expectations. Part of his magic is his ability to encode Chanel’s rich language within a hyper-modern style. Blazy is able to spot the intersection between the low-slung belts of the 2000s and the dropped waist silhouettes of the 1930s and bring the two to life in an ever fresher edition, without ever pandering to a trend. His interpretations of the classic tweed suits, mingled with Hitchcockian sweetheart necklines and circular hems, feel sexy and modern rather than reactionary or costumed. Each look is fit for the modern woman, regardless of age or profession. 

Set below a canopy of enormous, artificial gulls, the models walked the Grand Palais in quick succession. Dyanira Hurbuscher opened the show in a sheer, off-white dress inspired by 1950s nightslip, carrying a 2.55 owned by Coco Chanel herself. Blazy’s universe is a timeline of women ever updating. Watch the full show here.