Chanel shows haute couture in private salon setting at Grand Palais

Chanel showed its latest collection of haute couture in an all-beige salon set at the Grand Palais in Paris on Tuesday, its last runway presentation by the design studio before the debut of new creative director Matthieu Blazy expected in September.

Models emerged from an ornate entrance, parading long- skirted dresses in soft toned tweeds, with touches of sparkles and tufts of feathers. They wore tight buns and tall boots, which left u-shaped heel indentations in the plush carpet.

Colours were muted, mostly ivory, beige and brown, but one silky dress came in a pale silvery blue, worn under a short, yellow-toned bomber jacket with a prominent, feathery collar.

The show was held in the Salon d’Honneur, a smaller space of the freshly-restored Grand Palais, marking a contrast with the soaring, central exhibition hall usually favoured by the label.

Facing a prolonged slump, many labels in the high end fashion industry are renewing their design approach, with Kering-owned Gucci and Balenciaga, and LVMH’s Dior among labels that have recently named new designers.

After the show, guests lingered, making their way slowly down grand staircases, stopping for photos of the building’s elaborate ironwork and gilded wall decorations.

The Paris fall-winter haute couture fashion shows run through Thursday, featuring runway outings from labels Schiaparelli, Iris van Herpen and Imane Ayissi, as well as Giorgio Armani Prive, Maison Margiela and Balenciaga.