Chanel unveils the spring/summer 2022 couture show by Virginie Viard, as Princess Grace Kelly’s granddaughter Charlotte Casiraghi made a surprise horseback entrance

Jan 27 , 2022

Charlotte Casiraghi, Grace Kelly’s granddaughter, stole the show on an actual racing horse at Chanel’s spring/summer 2022 haute couture show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on January 25. Photo: Xinhua

Huge spinning wheels, “floating” wooden blocks and suspended geometric shapes hovered over a surreal mini golf course Tuesday, January 25, at Chanel’s remarkable couture show.

Even Pharrell Williams, who is no stranger to elaborate sets, had to take a moment to take stock, before posing beside a white, three-metre tire.

A model presents a creation by the Chanel fashion house during the haute couture spring/summer 2022 collection presentation at Paris Fashion Week, at Le Grand Palais Éphémère, in Paris, France, on January 24. Photo: EPA-EFE

This sublime, avant-garde decor was the work of Xavier Veilhan and marked the first time in its history that Chanel has entrusted a contemporary artist for staging.

The equestrian photos handed out to guests as they filtered in were a hint of what was to come. But no one quite expected Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Caroline of Monaco and the granddaughter of Princess Grace Kelly, to appear out of nowhere atop an actual racing horse.

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A model presents a creation from the haute couture spring/summer 2022 collection by French designer Virginie Viard for Chanel during the Paris Fashion Week at Le Grand Palais Éphémère, in Paris, France, on January 25. Photo: EPA-EFE

The beautiful beast and its VIP rider, in a black Chanel tweed sequinned jacket of course, began the show to a symphony of gasps and clopping hooves around the Grand Palais Éphémère’s auditorium as celebrity guests snapped pictures.

The horse seemed to enjoy its 15 minutes of fame, trotting by with ease, snaking in and out of the 1920s and 30s constructivist installations and by sand and imitation grass, before breaking out into a canter around the set.

Virginie Viard, Chanel’s designer, said the art backdrop was not just decor, but the collection’s creative starting block.

“These geometric shapes made me want contrasts, a great lightness and a lot of freshness: ethereal dresses that float as if suspended,” she said.

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Thus Chanel produced a relatively pared down aesthetic for spring with matching tweeds, minimalist touches, clean curved peplums and lots of white. A split leg on heavy three-quarter length skirts was this season’s big theme, creating a silhouette with lots of swag as the models walked.

A pink tweed jacket with white stripes possessed beautiful loose proportions, which perfectly captured the spirit of pared down femininity. It was the best piece in the show. Yet the 47-look collection at times seemed to fall victim to its own restraint, seeming to lack vibrancy.

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Paris Fashion Week: Haute Couture

For the first time ever, the historic fashion house tasked a contemporary artist, Xavier Veilhan, to do the staging for one of its runway shows
Casiraghi showed off a black tweed sequinned jacket atop a racing horse that clopped around the Grand Palais Éphémère, much to celebrity guests’ delight