Matthieu Blazy's Chanel Spring 2026 Celebration in Vogue December by Raf Pavarotti

Being totally neutral in their excitement about the maiden voyage shows for so many new designers at luxury houses, American Vogue did give expanded pages to Matthieu Blazy’s Spring 2026 Chanel debut. It’s probably because fashion hasn’t seen this many smiling models sharing the spotlight — like ever?

By contrast, with last night’s ‘The Debutants’ — where no one wears even a smirk — joy abounds in the house of Chanel, and it’s contagious. The issue is that with the growing global sisterhood feeling under attack on multiple fronts — and especially in America — getting kicked out of one brand probably creates a new opportunity ‘down the street’ we would say in New York.

And Mathew Blazy was waiting with wide open arms — and what could we do but adore him for the gesture.

We have to believe that the luxury houses had plenty to say about these first stage events of their creative directors’ debuts. Chanel clearly sent a message of celebration around the new emotional connection the brand is creating with the global sisterhood.

The international model lineup in Vogue’s Chanel story includes Abény Nhial, Achol Ayor, Aditsa Berzenia, Awar Odhiang, Bhoomi Yadav, Charlotte Boggia, Dru Campbell, Feng Jiao Long, Luiza Perote and Zaya Guarani, styled by Amanda Harlech in images by Rafael Pavarotti [IG]. / Hair by Karim Belghiran; makeup by Ammy Drammeh

I’ll be honest that Chanel meant nothing to me until I read and wrote about about Coco Chanel’s lover Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel, their decade-long love affair and its tragic ending. The inferno of Capel’s Christmas time car crash happened on a road many of us have driven in our south of France, fashion-exploring lives.

Like me, Matthieu Blazy didn’t fully understand the significance of Capel’s impact on Chanel’s life either. But once he understood the story and learned about Capel’s love of Charvet shirts, Blazy created a monument to their love affair of a very different kind.

Blazy is an empath; hands down. AOC has written about his leadership style, mixed with his creative curiosity, and prior overt gestures to get the recognition for the women in his Bottega atelier that they deserve.

Raf Pavarotti delivers a poignant tribute to Awar Odhiang on his IG; and I’ll deal with that loveliness separately, as it fits into Chanel’s fulfillment of a promise to do some retro-fitting in the range of its cultural impact and interaction with a wider-range of of the world’s peoples and their cultures.

Those promises were articulated in December 2022 in the pre-fall 2023 Métiers d’Art Show Dakar. AOC has never hesitated to hold Chanel to account in reaching a higher standard in its creative, cultural DNA. It’s all been rather dizzing with Blazy onboard, but I do want to say that for me — Chanel’s leadership and management have realized significant improvements in embracing beauty and creativity on a much-expanded platform than in recent years.

It all came together with Matthieu Blazy onboard as creative director, and I offer major compliments for the progress. Pavarotti doesn’t thank Chanel, but he does capture a feeling about the show and its closing with Odhiang owning the moment, one Blazy was happy to give her.

The closing was pure magic and came at a time when America is under such assault on the topic of racial representation — and gender, too — from the Trump Administration. For a relatively spontaneous moment, that Chanel ending was pure magic to me.

Thank you also to all the Chanel teams and Chanel executives, as well. You made promises in Dakar and they were not idle ones. You have delivered them. As Raf wrote, and I paraphrase: the show ending spontaneously became true hospitality from the heart, delivered by a mesmerizing African woman with arms open wide before the whole damn world, inviting us to join her in a Chanel celebration. It was really great. ~ Anne