Gabrielle Chanel’s history on the catwalk

Chanel FF24/25 is inspired by Deauville – the place where it all began for Gabrielle Chanel.

Chanel and Deauville is a fashion love story. It is the birthplace of the designer’s career in fashion. Hence, designer Virginie Viard was inspired by theformer seaside vacation resort, so adored by the jestset in the 1920’s, for her FF 24/25 collection.

Gabrielle Chanel had begun her rise to fashion fame in 1910 with opening Chanel Modes, an exclusive hat shop located at 21 Rue Cambon in Paris. The boutique was frequented by celebrities and actresses of the time, who we could say more or less operated as early influencers for the brand. Two years later, in 1912, Gabrielle Chanel opened a hat shop in the high society seaside resort of Deauville – the place where the jetsetters went to party, gamble, and show off their style. The town had very quickly become the symbol of the Roaring Twenties: Coco Chanel, the actress and singer Mistinguett, actor Sacha Guitry and many other influential personalities frequented the resort to gamble at the Casino and of course – to party. Author F.Scott. Fitzgerald mentioned Deauville in his classic novel “The Great Gatsby” as a place Tom Buchanan and Daisy visited on their honeymoon.

The whole of Paris flocked to visit Deauville which was nicknamed “the 21 ^st arrondissement of Paris”. Due to its proximity to Paris it was the perfect go-to resort for high society, and as location for Chanel’s boutique it could not have been better. The venture was financed by Chanel’s lover, the British aristocrat Arthur Capel, and the following year Gabrielle Chanel’s first garments arrived in the boutique. Now, she introduced deluxe casual clothing suitable for leisure and sport – fashions constructed from humble fabrics such as jersey and tricot, at the time primarily used for men’s underwear.

“The story of Chanel and Deauville is very close to my heart,” confides Virginie Viard. On the racecourse, on the seaside, at the gaming table, in restaurants and palaces, on the “Planches” boardwalk everything was about elegance and self-staging. So for this collection, Viard wanted to recreate the Deauville boardwalk. On the runway long, romantic silhouettes strolled against giant screens. Light from dawn to dusk shrouded the models in mystery as they paraded a collection where the 1920s and 70s crossed paths and intertwined.

The iconic bags were omnipresent, as were the pastel-hued wide-brimmed hats, colourful silk scarves, heeled knee-high boots and thigh-high boots in sheepskin, a direct nod to Anouk Aimée’s coat in “A Man and a Woman”.

“It’s a very warm collection, with layers of materials, colours and volumes. It pays tribute to Deauville, the legendary place where Gabrielle Chanel’s destiny changed forever”, says Virginie Viard.