For Chanel’s SS21 show, Virginie Viard revealed glamorous gowns destined to sweep along the red carpet, Barbie pink denim for off-duty actresses and the house logo reimagined in neon lights and printed across party dresses. Presented in the Grand Palais in front of monumental letters that spelled “CHANEL,” evoking the iconic Hollywood Hills sign, the spring/summer 2021 collection was an endless love letter to cinema and “a tribute to the muses of the house,” says Virginie Viard
The house of Chanel has deep rooted connection to cinema. “Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld dressed so many actresses in films and in real life,” said Virginie Viard. “I was thinking about them who make us dream so much.” For spring/summer 2021 Viard retuned this fantastical cinematic world, but was drawn to the women behind the lens rather than movies. “I was thinking about actresses at the photocall, on the red carpet, that moment when they’re being called to by the photographers: their faces a little distracted, their attitude a little out of sync with the outfits they’re wearing. And then there are the fans waiting for them behind the barriers, this very lively side to cinema that happens beyond cinema, that’s what I like,” explains Viard.
With the Chanel muse in Viard’s mind, and the house’s take on the Hollywood sign towering in the background, models emerged on the catwalk wearing fluorescent hued jeans, ultra-fine tweed, fluid tulle dresses, subtle black and white floral prints, feather fringing and a sprinkling of sequin embroidery. Tee-shirts were decorated in glowing Chanel letters and cinematic prints, tucked into bermuda short suits or silky separates; strings of pearls cascaded down models chests, also adorning bags and earrings; and mini carriers (pocket-sized 2.55 bags to be precise) dangled as charms from necks, waists and wrists. A largely black and white palette was punctuated with pops of bubblegum pink, soft carnation and vibrant neon accents that sparked joy and a hint of 1980s nostalgia.
Watch the full Chanel SS21 show at Chanel.com
