PARIS (AP) 鈥� stacked the Paris front row like a movie premiere Tuesday: Nicole Kidman, Dua Lipa, Pen茅lope Cruz, A$AP Rocky, Gracie Abrams, Margaret Qualley.
Then, it handed the spotlight to for his much-anticipated couture debut built on one big, confident swing: joy.
Inside the Grand Palais, the house went full fantasy.
The set was a dream-garden of candy-colored trees and giant pink-and-red mushrooms: a surreal antidote to the gray January day outside, and to the even heavier mood of the world beyond the doors.
Before the first look, Blazy even teased the mood with an animation film of woodland animals at work in the Chanel ateliers, 鈥淐inderella鈥� style: a wink that said this would be couture, but not grim.
Then came the clothes, and the message landed fast: lightness.
Codes made weightless
Blazy took 鈥� the suit, the pearls, the chain-weighted hems 鈥� and made them feel almost weightless.
A classic skirt suit arrived as a sheer, barely-there version of itself, cut so delicately it looked like air had been tailored.
In a house where tweed can be armor, this was tweed as whisper.
Birds hovered over the collection as a guiding idea: freedom, motion, travel.
Featherlike textures and flighty embroideries fluttered across silhouettes that moved like breath instead of structure.
There were flashes of plumage in color and surface 鈥� at times bright, at times raven-dark 鈥� and plenty of soft, floating chiffon that made the models look as if they were gliding rather than walking.
Not shouting 鈥� obsessing
The best trick was how the craft wasn’t obvious.
Up close, the work was meticulous: a level of handwork couture clients pay for, and ateliers live for.
But the overall effect stayed easy, almost casual; as if the clothes were beautiful without demanding applause.
Blazy played with the artistic technique trompe l鈥檕eil, including a tank top-and-jeans idea reimagined in organza, and with textures that were romantic but also a little strange; couture that winked.
Sexy intimacy
In a brand built on total looks and strong house signatures, Blazy offered something personal: choice.
Models were invited to pick symbols and messages to stitch into the clothes 鈥� a love note, a sign, a private mark.
It pushed Chanel away from 鈥渦niform鈥� and toward intimacy: couture as a wearable secret, not just a public statement.
The show also had a sense of casting as storytelling.
Blazy鈥檚 runways have tended to carry an open, joyful energy, and that continued here 鈥� a mix of ages, backgrounds and presences that made the clothes feel lived-in.
Model Bhavitha Mandava, fresh off her viral moment at the house鈥檚 M茅tiers d鈥橝rt show, returned.
Later she closed as a couture bride, shimmering and feathered, smiling as if she knew she was ending the scene exactly on the right note.
Wonder-couture, with a pop finish
The soundtrack shifted moods like a DJ set, moving from Disney sweetness to millennial nostalgia 鈥� including Moby鈥檚 鈥淧orcelain,鈥� and a mashup that blended Oasis鈥� 鈥淲onderwall鈥� with The Verve鈥檚 鈥淏itter Sweet Symphony.鈥�
By the finale, the room was playing along.
Big sets are easy. Blazy鈥檚 debut didn鈥檛 try to overpower Chanel with noise or force a new era with aggression. Instead, he made it feel alive.
Armani’s new direction
Silvana Armani stepped forward Tuesday with her first couture collection as creative director of Armani Priv茅, taking the spotlight after the death of , in September.
Armani, who worked alongside him for more than four decades, becomes the only woman leading a couture house this season, in a week dominated by high-profile debuts from male designers.
Her debut kept the house鈥檚 signature restraint but pushed it toward a lighter, more wearable mood. The lineup was trimmed to about 60 looks, a sharper edit than the brand鈥檚 typical scale.
Tailoring opened the show, but softened: relaxed suits, sheer organza shirts with ties, and wide-leg trousers in light layers that moved easily on the runway. Accessories were kept minimal 鈥� and hats were left out entirely, a notable change for a house long associated with Giorgio Armani鈥檚 love of headwear.
Tribute couture
The palette stayed pale and controlled, with celadon and blush tones running through the collection.
Decoration was largely contained to embroidery, with sparkle used selectively rather than as an all-over effect.
Evening looks brought the strongest statements, including crystal-shimmered gowns that read almost weightless, sequins paired casually with wide trousers, and a column dress covered in translucent crystals under a black satin opera coat lined in matching green.
The finale delivered a direct link to the founder: a bridal gown designed by Giorgio Armani for his last Priv茅 collection, shown publicly for the first time.
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