Chanel Métiers D'Art Was The Celebration Of Feminism, Creativity And Pearls We Needed In 2020
There’s never been a more vital time for Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show. A quiet, rarefied collection that falls in the first week of December, it has, in many ways, always been more a celebration of people than clothes. It is Chanel’s genuflection to the artisan houses and makers who craft the buttons, feathers, hats, pleats, and all-round magic that adorn Chanel’s collections. They are the creatives who can make collars as delicate and delicious as curls of white chocolate from French lace; costume jewellers who can make a one-inch button as beautiful and unique as a red diamond.
Over the last three decades Chanel has been busy tending to France’s remaining craft ‘maisons’ through a gentle acquisition. Since 1984 it has taken into its arms houses such as hat makers Maison Michel, embroiders Maison Lesage as well as many other artisan houses who specialise in everything from cashmere to feathers. The Métiers d’Art show is Chanel’s way of giving these houses both the exposure they deserve as well as a reminder to the world that luxury is nothing without creatives such as these.
This is Virginie Viard’s second Métiers d’Art collection, the last taking place in Paris when she transformed the Grand Palais into a loving approximation of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s apartment on Rue Cambon. (With, it should be noted, a little help from director Sofia Coppola). This time around she needed no help. Staged in the magnificent Château de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley, the only backdrop she required was the château’s checkerboard marble corridor, a motif that was reflected back in the shimmery checked mini-skirts models bounced along the runway in.
There was much to leave the jaw-slackened in the 20/21 collection (though there always is, and that is kind of the point), including Maison Michel’s velvet princess cone hat (if this becomes a trend, I’m all in); Massaro’s glittery two-tone platform sandals, leather jackets latticed with crystals and bags no bigger than the palm of your hand, worn in multiples across the body which surely will be the accessories trend of 2021.
Viard said she was inspired by the château, which also goes by the name Château des Dames. This isn’t surprising given that Chenonceau was not only designed by women but was home to some of France’s most illustrious ‘dames’ including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de' Medici. You can see glimpses of Viard’s homage in the floral embroidery found on a jacket’s lapel, an ode, no doubt, to the château’s famous gardens as well as a gentle nod to the Chenonceau’s tapestries in the warm hue of a tweed cape.
It feels, in this respect a collection that owes much to history but Viard is too shrewd not to weave in a great big nod to the last nine months too. Look closely and many of the models strode out in a sort of luxurious leggings/tights hybrid. Trousers too were soft and undulating around the hips and legs – surely a wink to how the world has been dressing since spring 2020. (This being Métiers d’Art however, those trousers did come with beautiful jewel and pearl encrusted hems).
For me however the standout piece was a riff on the humble Alice Band: a gorgeous headpiece created by both jewellery houses Goossens and Desrues. Rarely have I seen such an inventive take on an age-old accessory, but this was sheer joy: a simple band bounded on either side by a waterfall of pearls and crystals that fell against models faces like exquisite ringlets. Part headpiece, Alice band and chandelier earring all in one, this is the quickest way to gain the sartorial upper hand in any Zoom conference call.
It’s true that things are looking dismal for the creative industries. Covid-19 has reared it venomous head over us all, but the creative industries have felt that sting greater than most. (Rishi Sunak’s intimation over the summer, that creatives should retrain feeling like a fatal blow to an already wounded industry). But this show, more than any other I believe, shows the magic creatives weave. And magic, whether it’s in a bejewelled cuff or a headpiece bedecked with pearls is what the world needs right now.
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