THE MAKING OF: CHANEL FALL-WINTER 2021/22 HAUTE COUTURE

Written by: Jenna Delaney

For Chanel's Fall-Winter 2021/22 Haute Couture collection, Virginie Viard channels the work of fêted impressionist painters.

The world began to consume art, culture and fashion through the window of a screen long before the global pandemic. Of course, recent lockdowns and restrictions made our digital universe even more habitual, but it also taught us to cherish the real deal; for there are certain experiences that cannot be regurgitated in pixels. Such experiences are entwined with the emotions we feel when we see something for the very first time—with bright, eager eyes—whether it’s a painting, a performance or a pretty Parisian street.

So, when the confetti fell on the steps of the Palais Galliera on an overcast afternoon in July, and we saw Chanel’s iconic couture bride propel her bouquet into the air, an audience ready to catch it behind her, we were reminded of the joy of real-life shows and the intricate beauty of a couture collection made by hand; of the extensive work of the ateliers, absorbed in freeze-frame as the models made their way down the staircase; of each stitch and seam, every button and embellishment, all brought into magnificent color. Just like a painting placed on a gallery wall.

It’s no coincidence that painterly inspirations sit at the heart of this Fall-Winter 2021/22 Haute Couture display, as Virginie Viard cited the works of Berthe Morisot, Marie Laurencin and Édouard Manet in her collection notes. Prompted by portraits of Gabrielle Chanel in 1880s-style dresses, Viard created silhouettes that could have been pulled from a pastel-hued Impressionist or Cubist canvas. “There are dresses embroidered with water lilies, a jacket in a black tweed crafted from feathers with red and pink flowers,” says Viard. Recurring floral motifs are the syrupy glue that binds this collection to Impressionism, evoking gardens blooming with roses and dahlias, while Morisot-esque bows evidently punctuate looks.

And here, through the lens of Mikael Jansson, the many artist details that might be missed at first glance are captured as they come to life at the couture ateliers. A sequined tweed coat mirrors a multitude of brush strokes; blush and yellow tulle pompoms are splashed upon a paletot jacket; mosaics of tiny rhinestones create an ever-changing palette depending on the light; and a series of skirts emulate paintings from afar, like a fantastical mirage that can only be witnessed in the moment. Chanel couture continues to be, and will forever remain, a work of art.