Fashioning Cinema with Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2023 Show
The house used film as a launching pad for the silhouettes on the runway for Paris Fashion Week, opting for black and white looks that helmed the show.
Virginie Viard’s Chanel is one of soft femininity, mixed with a touch of tough edginess. On the runway for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2023 show, Viard took direct cues from the film Last Year in Marienbad (1961) by Alain Resnais, having the film play on a 360º cinema screen while her models strutted down the runway.
The black and white tale of mysterious, unnamed individuals who flutter through the palatial château, calls to the intelligent audience to implicitly weave the links between each of them, leaving an enigmatic story worth various interpretations. This implied understanding that Resnais creates with Last Year in Marienbad is revisited through the eyes of Viard’s collection.
The silhouettes and details from the show are grounded in house emblems – the camellia, the interlocking double Cs and classic cap-toe shoes. Viard’s reintegration of the house codes into the Ready-to-Wear looks work simply because of her trust in the knowledgeable Chanel audience. The monochromatic numbers are given a splash of romantic glamour, with the addition of polka dots, frills and playsuits. In classic Chanel fashion, save for some pastel greens and pinks, the collection is centred around the classic allure of black, ivory and gold.
Allure and Chanel intertwine this season for a collection that draws us in with sheer magnetism. The frilly numbers display an unconventional element of Parisian style that balances the classic details from the Maison. Ankle- and knee-length grosgrain crystal pumps wrap around the legs, tying together the sparkly tweed sets.
Ostrich feathers adorn the hemlines of coats and the collars of jackets, for a truly cinematic look. The nucleus of the collection is entrenched in Viard’s inclination for the silver screen, which she brings to life through sequined suits and printed, full dresses. This collection borrows fine details from Resnais’ film, transferring them onto swirling silhouettes of modernity, illustrating Viard’s wish for Chanel’s muse to embody expression, sensuality and mystery.
See all the looks from Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection below:
