Chanel Forever: Spring/Summer 2025 Paris Haute Couture Show
Graphic by Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez
Tuesday’s Spring/Summer 2025 show marked Chanel's 110th anniversary of couture. The French fashion house diverged from its typical black-and-white motif in favor of a pastel rainbow palette.
The Spring/Summer 2025 show was set in Grand Palais, between Champs Elysees and the Seine in the 8th arrondissement. The architectural space featured a stage shaped like an abstract infinity sign that made a continuous loop throughout the venue.
From a bird’s eye view, the stage resembled the double-C Chanel logo, reminding audiences that the fashion house is timeless and ever-evolving.
Baby blues, butter yellows and ballet slipper pinks punctuated the pieces, giving the collection a reinvigorating air. To maintain Chanel’s classic image, the models sported universal black belts with gold buckles and chunky heels in color block neutrals.
The Opening Look, modeled by Loli Bahia, featured a white jacket with hand-painted pastel detailing and a boxy white mini skirt – portraying the pinnacle of “ready to wear.”
The first three looks were mostly white, with more vivacious colors making their way into the collection as the show wore on. It’s almost as if Chanel wanted to create the illusion of a pigmented progression of day to night, closing the show with a series of darker evening wear looks in jet blacks and navy blues. However, the final look was silvery white – calling back to the beginning and suggesting that Chanel is a constant.
The colorful collection had a spritely air, with its refreshing take on the brand’s image. Vogue Magazine called the show “light, young, and pretty all the way.” Choices were made to ensure that younger fashion connoisseurs would resonate with the collection, especially with the accessibility of the “ready to wear” silhouettes.
The collection featured the signature ‘60s Chanel tweed jacket reimagined for a more youthful take. The pieces paired with the tweed were intentionally cut with sharper lines and at flattering angles to suggest dynamism and modernity.
Looks 9 and 15 were two of my personal favorites since Chanel channeled a girly, playful spring vibe with flouncy shapes and monochromatic pastels. The adept use of color serves as a clear dichotomy between the gloomy global winter and the dire state of the world. The optimistic outlook towards the brighter seasons channeled throughout the show was temporal and necessary.
In contrast, Look 38 featured an all-black look with red, white and gold beaded details and moderate shimmer. Placed strategically towards the middle of the show, this was a more familiar Chanel ensemble – revealing that they will not completely deviate from their traditional image.
As the seasons change and time ticks by, Chanel remains a centrifugal force in the fashion world. Chanel is forever.