The bow, the ribbon, the pearl and the flower... Chanel's autumn/winter '25 collection revisited cherished signatures through a dreamlike, perception-altering lens
Scheduled as the closing crescendo of Paris Fashion Week, Chanel's autumn/winter '25 showcase offered a study in illusion – where proportions distorted, layers overlapped, and the maison’s signatures took on an almost surreal scale. Under the soaring glass dome of the Grand Palais, scenographer Willo Perron’s installation of black ribbons twisted and unfurled, setting the stage for a collection that toyed with perception.
In the interim before Matthieu Blazy’s debut, the Fashion Creator Studio at Rue Cambon played with proportions: a cropped jacket in pastel tweed was paired with impossibly long trousers, while a crisp poplin shirt cascaded to the ankles. Elsewhere, a petite black tweed jacket stretched into a coatdress, and capes morphed into jackets with cuffed sleeves. The bow – one of Chanel’s most beloved motifs – was magnified and multiplied, blossoming across collars, cuffs, and even trailing to the floor on a black down jacket.
Trompe l’oeil layering gave depth to the collection: a grenadine tweed three-piece set featured a micro-jacket lined in scarlet silk, a wrap skirt, and flared trousers, while a bronze-toned tunic-and-trouser ensemble was topped with a buttoned skirt. Transparency heightened the interplay of contrasts, as sheer black tulle draped over ecru tailoring, creating silhouettes that shifted with movement.
Accessories leaned into the collection’s dreamlike quality – heels balanced on single pearls, crossbody bags doubled as oversized pearl necklaces, and glittering rhinestone jewels exaggerated their own opulence. In the hands of Chanel, the theatrical became wearable, and the familiar became strange. Like the best illusions, the collection was an exercise in wonder, proving once again that at Chanel, fantasy and reality are never far apart.
See the full Chanel AW25 ready-to-wear collection below.
