Virginie Viard’s Fall/Winter 2023-24 Haute Couture collection for Chanel was inspired by the chicest of Parisian women. Taking a cue from the ultimate French muse Vanessa Paradis, Viard painted a portrait of the contrasts of a sensitive yet bold Parisienne.
“Playing with opposites and contrasts, with nonchalance and elegance, is like standing on a line between strength and delicacy, which, at CHANEL, is what we call allure,” she explains.
In this sense, the collection features many contrasts, sharp, masculine suits in soft feminine hues, masculine-inspired overcoats, diaphanous blouses belted over flat-pleated golden tweed skirts, precious vest tops, pin-striped trousers and men’s waistcoats, a long black chiffon dress of infinite lightness, painted eyewear and two-tone Mary-Janes.
The collection plays with the codes of CHANEL, rigour and asymmetry, using discreet colours and vibrant shades, assurance and discretion.
The show was presented on the riverbank of the Seine. “If we’re in Paris,” she adds, “and this time we’re in Paris itself, on the quayside. The street and the colourful paving stones call for both sophistication and simplicity.” Said Viard. Crowds looked on as models paraded across cobbled stones that had been hand-painted pink – yet another nod to the juxtapositions between hard and soft.
“Handing down emotions, bringing the most unlikely elements together, doing things your own way, just dreaming.” Added Viard in the show notes.
