The Chanel Haute Couture SS23 catwalk show

This Haute Couture week has been ‘paradise’ for animal lovers: first Schiaparelli with its interpretation of Dante’s Inferno and now Chanel with a slightly more relaxed version. The brand has just presented its SS23 Haute Couture collection in which it creates its own animal world.

Coco Chanel always loved her animals, so her successor, Virginie Viard, together with artist Xavier Veilhan, has created Chanel’s personal bestiary for Haute Couture SS23. Trojan horses, bulls, mice, elephants, lions and various mythological creatures made of plywood and cardboard. “The idea came after our exhibition in Senegal, when I met Xavier in Coco’s flat and he was struck by all the statues of caged lions and birds that she had,” explained Chanel’s creative director.

Under a 1920s circus theme, the Chanel show was opened by drumming majorettes who walked among the animal models they had placed as props. The animal theme didn’t stop there. As in any circus of the time, animals were also present in the garments of the collection. Prints of rabbits, reliefs of fawns, flowers and leaves made of sequins or golden wings embroidered on the models’ chests were Viard’s way of making an ode to fauna.

The Maison also wanted to show off its savoir faire through delicate embroidery. Jackets fitted at the waist, tweed, chiffon and transparencies that became a second skin were the key points of the catwalk. Accessories were also a major theme for Chanel, which included them in almost every outfit, such as black and white bow ties (the house’s favourite pairing), tamer hats and two-tone ankle boots with the brand’s iconic black toe cap.