The Chanel Spring Summer 2024 Haute Couture Collection, envisioned by Virginie Viard, is a poetic homage to the world of ballet and dance, fusing fashion with the ethereal beauty of movement and storytelling. This collection, deeply rooted in Chanel’s legacy, celebrates timeless elegance and transformative power of haute couture.
At the heart of the collection is the button, a symbol of emancipation and a hallmark of Chanel‘s design philosophy. Gabrielle Chanel, the founder of the House, revered buttons as jewels that added a touch of daring and sparkle to her creations. Viard takes this legacy forward, integrating the button into the world of ballet and dance, where it becomes a metaphor for freedom and grace.
The Chanel Spring Summer 2024 Haute Couture collection presents a landscape of fashion where transparent short skirts, long dresses, jumpsuits, and capes are adorned with delicate embroideries, draperies, little bows, illusion tulle pockets, lace belts, sequins, braids, and floral motifs. These elements come together to create a visual representation of physical poetry, echoing the grace and wonderment of dance and ballet.
The influence of dance is deeply ingrained in Chanel’s DNA, with the House historically being closely tied to ballet institutions, choreographers, dancers, and even creating costumes for ballet performances. Viard’s collection is an extension of this legacy, capturing the power and finesse of bodies in motion. The designs embody a balance of masculinity and femininity, draped over classic ballet attire like white leotards and tights.
Marking a century since Gabrielle Chanel’s first ballet designs, the collection’s color palette, dominated by pink and white aquarelle hues, draws inspiration from the Ballets Russes of Léon Bakst and Sergei Diaghilev. Vivid splashes of color pay homage to this historic dance company. Contemporary cultural references are also present, with down jackets in tulle, hoods, and heels, adding a modern twist to the collection.
The set design for the show, conceptualized by Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free, and Mike Carson, reflects the symbols of Haute Couture, complementing the collection’s narrative. This artistic direction resonates with the themes of “The Button,” a film serviced by pgLang, written and directed by Dave Free, scored by Kendrick Lamar, and featuring Anna Mouglalis, Naomi Campbell, and Margaret Qualley. In a poignant opening, Margaret Qualley, an actress, House ambassador, and accomplished dancer, swathed in tulle, sets the tone for the show.
Viard concludes, “For me, dance evokes all these stories and emotions that are close to my heart, and that I take such pleasure in handing down and recounting.”
