CHANEL Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2025/26 collection: Tweed, light and rice fields

A paean to the relationship between texture and terrain, the show opened with tweed, CHANEL’s enduring hallmark, reimagined with gentle fluidity. Think: a white coatdress with delicately embroidered edges; a tailored suit evoking the comfort of a hand-knitted jumper; mohair rendered in green and plum, echoing autumnal foliage. A material long prized for its sturdiness here appears soft to the touch, like warm grass beneath the feet of a woman walking freely across a windswept field.

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Each silhouette in the collection carries a sense of movement, as though guided by a passing breeze. Hand-painted ivory shorts, long gilets, feather-trimmed capes and cropped blousons shimmer with a “faux fur” illusion thanks to the interplay of tweed and plumage. Subtler details—herringbone weaves, multicoloured florals, motifs of ripening wheat—resonate on a deeper level, bridging the tactile and the conceptual.

A satin crêpe silk pinafore, or a jacket embroidered with minute precision, transcends its role as garment. These are not merely clothes, but portals to a world where haute couture moves beyond the confines of spectacle, becoming instead an articulation of identity.

One of the most powerful emotional symbols in the collection is the image of wheat. This long-held emblem of abundance, both spiritual and material, was a motif dear to Gabrielle Chanel. In this season’s collection, wheat emerges throughout the Salon d'Honneur at the Grand Palais in quietly exquisite forms: pearl buttons, the collar of a bridal gown, or fluttering along the chiffon tiers of a monochrome spaghetti-strap dress. In CHANEL’s hands, wheat is no mere grain, but a lyrical thread binding humanity to nature, fairy tales to reality.

Set against the backdrop of transition with Matthieu Blazy soon to assume the role of Creative Director, this collection feels like a moment of reverence. A soft interlude in time. A breath. A gesture of gratitude for all that has come before, and a calm anticipation of what lies ahead. Whatever the future holds, the spirit of CHANEL—independent, intelligent, and unmistakably singular—will remain unchanged.

At the show’s close, the collection turned towards the sun. Metallic accents appeared in succession: gilded buttons, silver-threaded lace, orange lamé ruffles filling the runway with the hues of a late autumn afternoon. This sunlight, gentle yet steady, warmed the space like a whisper on a wind-blown day. In this quiet blaze, CHANEL closed a chapter. A final tribute from the current creative team, who illuminated the show with a quietly powerful beauty before passing the baton to new hands. The light lingered like a stalk of rice, full and golden; like the heart of a woman who walks her own path, always seeking freedom.

In a fashion world that increasingly runs like a high-speed machine, where ideas are often eclipsed by urgency, CHANEL’s Fall/Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture Collection feels like a hidden garden. A space of calm and contemplation, where tweed, light and wheat fields whisper in soft tones. Perhaps, from this quiet resonance, a new chapter will bloom like golden grains rising after the monsoon, ready to be sown in the season ahead.

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