Chanel swaps skirts for jodhpurs at Paris Fashion Week

Loose, studded trousers split open at the sides and jodhpur-style looks took centre stage at Chanel on Tuesday, as models walked in twos and threes down a vast mirrored floor that served as a runway at one of Paris Fashion Week’s last big shows.

While social media stars and professional buyers from China have largely been absent during the last 10 days of fashion presentations due to the coronavirus epidemic, other celebrities and bloggers have flocked in.

American rapper Janelle Monae, French singer Angele and actress Isabelle Adjani were among guests at Chanel’s extravaganza in the Grand Palais exhibition hall.

Designer Virginie Viard, who was Karl Lagerfeld’s number two and succeeded him after his death last year, presented a largely monochrome collection, heavily emphasizing black and white looks that have long been Chanel’s hallmark.

Pale pink and pastel green tweed suits provided splashes of colour for the wintry looks, while cowgirl-style trousers were omnipresent and models wore mid-calf, two-tone boots.

“Romanticism but without any flourishes. Emotions but without any frills,” Viard said in show notes. The set was unusually abstract for Chanel, with onlookers perched around white, tiered mounds that resembled icy islands.