The invites, the celebs and the oh-so-many intricate details.
I’ve had many jaw-dropping moments in my career：hugging Paris Hilton, horseback riding in Iceland, holding priceless diamonds. But seeing the Chanel Fall 2024 Couture show in person? Another world entirely. On June 25, the storied French brand presented its latest couture collection at the French opera house, the Palais Garnier. Inspired by the venue, opera, ballet，divas and “the glances, gazes and putting oneself on display” (according to the brand), the collection was nothing short of sumptuous. Voluminous opera coats were paired with sleek short shorts; beautiful bows accented the models’ hair, hips and torsos; and, true to Chanel’s design codes, decadently decorated tweed sets anchored the assortment. Now if you’re an avid fashion follower, the above information isn’t new; photos of the Couture collection have since flooded social media. But as someone who was there in the flesh and got to touch the clothes, I can say that the images tell only half the story. Here’s what you may have missed.
THE CHANEL FALL 2024 COUTURE INVITATIONWAS LITERALLY A PAIR OF OPERA GLASSES
Do you go to the opera to see or to be seen? That’s one of the questions that inspired the Chanel Fall 2024 Couture presentation. As a tribute to the iconic Palais Garnier, Chanel teased its guests by sending everyone a pair of black-and-gold opera glasses before the show and, yes, they were fully functional and even more fabulous in person.
THE PALAIS GARNIER WAS EVEN MORE GORGEOUS (AND WARM!) IN PERSON
The Phantom of the Opera may be off Broadway, but I got to experience the same grandeur at the Palais Garnier the original inspiration for the beloved musical. While I can neither confirm nor deny that the performance venue was haunted by a misunderstood masked man, the 149-year-old building-lined with crystal chandeliers, large staircases and beautifully painted ceilings added a level of drama befitting the opulent assortment. Chanel even brought in its own red velvet seats to line the marble corridors. One thing it didn’t bring? Air conditioners. While the camera only captured the dewy models floating in feathers, the editors and influencers in attendance were fannina themselves with their paper invites not unlike something that would have taken place over a century ago, when the opera house first opened its doors.
MY FUTURE HUSBAND WAS PRESENT
Why find your seat by yourself when you can enlist an army of cute Frenchmen to do it for you? Or so was the thought at the Chanel Fall 2024 Couture show. Tuxedo clad garons with Disney Prince coiffed hair first greeted guests outside the opera house in rows of two, looking more like debutante dates than any ushers I’ve ever seen. But once inside, the gentlemen split off to corral the excited attendees into their chairs. Consider it a sitting ovation.
THE MATERIALS MAY SURPRISE YOU
If you subscribe to the belief that the true test of any good show whether it’s an opera, a fashion event or otherwise is in its surprises, then the Chanel Fall 2024 Couture collection might have been one of your favorites, thanks to its use of unexpected materials. Sure, there were the expected weighty bouclés and elaborate embellishments, both of which were created by hand. (After all, this was a Chanel show.) But the surprise factor came in the form of voluminous opera capes that looked burdensome but in reality were as light as a feather, patent coats and dresses that shined like leather but were actually crafted from an innovative lacquered jersey and even a grey-and-white set that looked like sequins from afar but was made with faux fur.
THE COLLECTION WAS KEIRA KNIGHTLEY APPROVED
Even for Keira Knightley, who has been an ambassador for the house since 2007, Chanel Couture never gets old. “l just thought it was absolutely stunning, she told FASHION after the presentation. “lt was a celebration of divas and really just everything you would want a couture show to be” And while Knightley already has her eyes on the gold skirt with embroidered ribbons from Look 15 and a tweed suit with tassels, she was very much in love with the white dress she got to wear while sitting front row. “The decision on what to wear was ‘yes, please，” she laughed. “I got to waft, be in Paris and be that person and it was great.