Chanel returns to the Grand Palais with a collection devoted to flight

“The collection is a tribute to women who freed themselves from the cumbersome gaze of society, just like Gabrielle Chanel,” the brand said. “This flight is dedicated to them.”

Theme and inspiration

The team were inspired by the ideas of lightness and flight, taking cues from nature, but also from the house’s founder, Gabrielle, and her close friend Colette. Designs readdressed house codes through the eyes of the garçonne movement that marked the Roaring Twenties, but also the female pilots “who spoke out and helped change mentalities”.

The house presented aviator jackets with Peter Pan collars, flight suits and uniform dresses to reflect this but there was also a lightness in the collection – chiffon capes and skirts, beautifully embroidered dresses and feathers everywhere. It was, the house said: “a choreographic ode to delicacy, lightness and movement”.

Hero pieces

The feathers – whether on the flowing evening capes or embellished on Peter Pan collars on jackets – stole the show.

The setting

Of course, the setting was half the story of this season’s collection as Chanel returned to the Grand Palais after four years of renovations. Originally built for the 1900 Paris Exposition, the impressive cultural landmark eventually became Chanel’s catwalk home – it was the setting for Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris shows for 14 years, and continued into Virginie Viard’s tenure, before being forced to shut for restoration purposes. The venue is now back in business, thanks to Chanel, which contributed to the €30 million investment – and saw the spring/summer 2025 collection presented in the Nave of the building.

“The Grand Palais is this incredible machine that creates dreams,” Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel Fashion said previously. “For us, it’s one of the places that embody the House of Chanel, in the same way as the Rue Cambon or the Place Vendôme. Like the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais will span the centuries.”

The return to the venue was complete with a spectacular show that saw a performance from Riley Keough singing on a swing as the models walked beneath her.

Who was there?

Lupita Nyong’o, Margaret Qualley and Naomi Campbell were among the names on the front row.