Inside Chanel’s finale for Paris Fashion Week 2022: a show filled with iconic tweeds and florals by Virginie Viard and inspired by Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s time in Scotland

Mar 12 , 2022

A model presents a creation of French fashion house Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022 ready-to-wear collections during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: Xinhua

Chanel took guests, including Venus Williams, on a journey of discovery inside the Grand Palais Éphémère on Tuesday, March 8, to the landscapes and colours of the Scottish countryside. On the final day of Paris Fashion Week, the runway saw an ode to tweed – an exploration of the history and allure of the fabric now synonymous with the Parisian stalwart.

Gleaming styles evoked the colours of the actual River Tweed that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England, a river that gave the storied fabric its name and that inspired house founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

A models presents a creation from the autumn/winter 2022-23 women’s collection by French designer Virginie Viard for the Chanel fashion house during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

The presentation of the women’s collections at Paris Fashion Week ran from February 28 to March 08. Photo: EPA-EFE

“We followed the footsteps of Gabrielle Chanel along the River Tweed, to imagine tweeds in the colours of this landscape,” said Viard of the collection. Thus the designer, who replaced Karl Lagerfeld following his death in 2019, continued her creative journey through the life and inspirations of the house founder. In previous seasons, that has included a collection dedicated to the orphanage at which Chanel grew up.

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A refined monochrome look features in Chanel’s presentation during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

A pink coat tops off this look for Chanel’s presentation during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

On Tuesday, it was a chapter tracing the later years of the fashion icon, when she lived and stayed in Scotland, and “would gather ferns and bouquets of flowers to inspire the local artisans for the tones she wanted”.

Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022-23 women’s collection drew on Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s time in Scotland, where she got inspiration from flowers. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tweed has become synonymous with Chanel, and it featured strongly in the brand’s autumn/winter 2022-23 women’s collection by French designer Virginie Viard during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

Signature house skirt suits and wrapped-up woollen styles came in muted tones of pinks, burgundies, blues and purples. They were dappled, like the hues in nature, thanks to the unique weave of the textured and irregular fabric weft. Guests sat on tweed-upholstered seats, clutching invites made of matching pink material.

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A classy all black look for Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022-23 women’s collection by French designer Virginie Viard, presented during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

A close-up of a handbag from French fashion house Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022 ready-to-wear collection during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: Xinhua

The show was also a history lesson: Chanel lived in Scotland when she was the mistress of the Duke of Westminster in the 1920s, and she would wear his jackets. Cut to the menswear elements – flat boxy jackets with loose proportions and large retro pockets.

Menswear elements featured in Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022/23 women’s collection by French designer Virginie Viard during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

A red and gold, textured look from Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022-23 women’s collection by French designer Virginie Viard shown during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

A mini-bag tops off this creation from French fashion house Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022 ready-to-wear collections during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on March 8. Photo: Xinhua

But for all the storytelling, this saleable collection did at times lack a vibrancy. Somehow it did not seem daring enough in terms of silhouette, which played it safe. It also seemed to lack the tongue-in-cheek attitude that was a mainstay for years under Lagerfeld – despite occasional flourishes such as chained hip flasks or sheeny logo-emblazoned black wellies. Perhaps Lagerfeld put the bar too high, or maybe Viard simply does not want to rock the boat?

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Paris Fashion Week

Viard, who replaced Karl Lagerfeld after his death in 2019, explored the Coco Chanel’s later life in Scotland, where she was the Duke of Westminster’s mistress in the 1920s
Celebrities including Venus Williams took in the autumn/winter collection of boxy jackets, skirt suits and woollen styles in pink, burgundy and blue, presented at the Grand Palais Éphémère