Chanel Haute Couture FW25: A Last Breath Before the Leap

In the warped interior of the Grand Palais’s Salon d’Honneur, Chanel presented its final haute couture collection shaped by the in-house team that has worked with Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard over the past decade. The setting echoed a stretched memory: mirrored walls, beige drapery, and surreal proportions of Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment sofa.

The collection came from the in-house team that has shaped the house’s vision for years. Without aiming for farewell or spectacle, the show focused on line, volume, and motion. Shapes were edited, not erased. Proportions shifted but stayed calm.

Shortened jackets, cut to graze just above the waist, introduced glimpses of skin with a measured approach. They were paired with elongated skirts—some slit, some layered—bringing a sense of openness to grounded silhouettes. Thigh-grazing boots returned across multiple looks, nodding quietly to earlier chapters of the brand’s visual history. Materials were handled with restraint: they followed the body without gripping it, and loosened without losing form.

Familiar elements reappeared, gently reworked. Tweed ensembles broke open at the waist. Lightweight blouses softened the upper half and left the arms exposed. Skirts shaped like petals adjusted the line of the figure without overwhelming it. Volume was used thoughtfully—more like a breath than a bold gesture. Each look seemed to move around the wearer, rather than cling to them.

Details were consistent: gold buttons, pale tones, occasional fringe. Hair was soft. Makeup stayed light. Everything pointed back to the same rhythm—measured, aware, but not too self-referential.

As the house marks its 110th year and prepares for a shift under new creative leadership, this collection didn’t attempt to summarise anything. It let the work speak as it was: complete in its control, subtle in its release.