There’s always a sense of suspense when a designer steps down from a major fashion House. Who will take their place? What direction will they take the brand in? And, of course, when will they present their first collection? At Chanel, that anticipation has been steadily building since June, when Virginie Viard presented her last collection as the House’s creative director. And while her successor is still yet to be named, the Chanel Spring Summer 2025 collection, presented by the Creation Studio, felt like a fresh chapter.

The design team set out to pay tribute to women who, like Gabrielle Chanel, freed themselves from the burden of society’s gaze. Or, as the show notes put it, women who sought to “fly high up in the air.” Fittingly, the show was held in the Grand Palais, a gigantic, light-filled space. Even more appropriately, the venue is steeped in Chanel’s history, having served as the backdrop for the House’s spectacular runways for the last two decades. Inside, the complex was transformed into a giant birdcage from which models – like birds in flight – escaped as they traipsed down the runway. The storytelling only became richer when singer and actress Riley Keough (aka Elvis Presley's granddaughter) took her position on a swing suspended within the cage, for a rendition of Prince's track, When Doves Cry.

It was in this setting that light, airy, and ethereal designs took centre stage. Think: chiffon capes, delicately embroidered transparent dresses, fluid wide-leg trousers, and coats covered in pale feathers that shimmied with models’ every step. Further weaving the thread of history-defining women, the collection took a journey back in sartorial time, with nods to era-defining fashions like the Garçonne movement of the 1920’s, and the boundary-pushing female pilots of the same time. Naturally then, aviator jackets, Peter Pan collars, uniform-style dresses, and suiting with tie-shape inserts were abound.

While the collection undoubtedly felt like a deliberate step in a new direction for Chanel, it was also, in many ways, a return to the House’s roots. Instantly identifiably House codes like the little black dress, two-tone shoes and ample amounts of tweed and jersey (in new-season pastel hues) commemorated Chanel’s rich history, while also making space for a new chapter —  whatever that might look like.