The bucolic wedding of Chanel Haute Couture SS21

The Grand Palais, turned into the set of a country wedding in the south of France in the 1920s, a garden full of gazebos and arches covered with fragrant flowers, is the location Chanel has chosen to present the Haute Couture SS21 collection. Even though only a small group of friends and ambassadors of the Maison, from Lily-Rose Depp with her mother Vanessa Paradis to Kristen Stewart, was there to attend the live show, directed by Anton Corbijn, it was a joyful and elegant family celebration.

I knew we couldn't organise a big show, that we would have to invent something else, so I came up with the idea of a small cortege that would come down the stairs of the Grand Palais and pass beneath arches of flowers. Like a family celebration, a wedding. - Said Virginie Viard explaining the mood that inspired the show - I love big family reunions, when the generations all come together. It's so warm. There’s this spirit at Chanel today. Because Chanel is also like a family.

The models, like bridesmaids and wedding party guests, move to the notes of Be my baby by The Ronettes and the dresses sway with them. Floaty and ethereal fabrics, ruffles, lace, floral work give a romantic lightness to the dresses with wide corolla skirts, to the midi dress with ruffles paired with two-tone Mary-Jane feet with double straps recalling the shoes of tango dancers, while the tweed suits, thanks to lurex and sequins, are full of sparkle. Embroidered vests, worn over soft pants, are the new entry, but the real focus of the collection is the skirt, the leading player in a vaporous, wide, long or mini version, full of ruffles, in lace or tulle, like a ballerina's tutu. 

At the end of the show, as in the tradition started by Karl Lagerfeld, comes the bride who arrives on the back of a horse, beautiful in her unique ecru satin crepe dress with train. Sober and minimal, the dress designed by Viard features a wing collar and cuffs like those of a shirt and is decorated with rhinestones and butterflies of pearls embroidered by Lesage.

Even the beauty reflects the vintage bucolic wedding mood decided by Viard. Chanel hairstylist Damien Boissinot styled the models' hair into elegant ponytails, embellished with silk flower crowns that give a boho touch to the look. Lucia Pica, on the other hand, opted for a very natural makeup: defined heavy eyebrows, smokey eyes in shades of brown, blush to highlight the cheekbones and soft lipstick. Chanel explains in Instagram post the products used to achieve this beauty look: Le Correcteur de Chanel and Ultra Le Teint Compact gave the models' skin a flawless finish; a mix of Les Beiges Poudre Belle Mine Naturelle and Pinceau Poudre Precision n°107 emphasized the hollow of the cheeks; while on the top of the cheekbones there is a veil of Baume Essentiel Transparent.