“Initially I had Capri in mind, where the show was supposed to take place, but didn’t happen in the end because of lockdown,” says Virginie Viard, “So we had to adapt: not only did we decide to use fabrics that we already had, but the collection, more generally, evolved towards a trip around the Mediterranean… The islands, the scent of the eucalyptus, the pink shades of the bougainvillea.” And a free, laid-back allure inspired by the legendary actresses of the 1960s when they would holiday on the Italian and the French Riviera.

This collection was conceived to travel light with “a wardrobe that can be carried in a little suitcase on wheels, a shopper and an embroidered handbag”, a few easy to wear, multipurpose items of clothing that all go together perfectly, and can even be transformed: long skirts become strapless dresses when pulled up, long jackets in black chiffon can be worn by day over a triangle bikini, or by night with an embroidered bandeau top and jeans, “and if worn over bare skin, it becomes a déshabillé.” The dresses in fine transparent lamé are coupled with jackets that can be untied and slipped over a pair of crêpe shorts, while wraparound dresses and skirts liberate movement. Bougainvillea pink illuminates suits in leather as supple as a second skin, and in tweed that’s been left unlined for more fluidity.

A collection of refined simplicity, to be discovered on chanel.com.

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