CHANEL Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2025/26: The Poetry of the Tangible

Calm, restraint, softness.

Three words that define, like a persistent whisper, the spirit of CHANEL’s Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2025/26 collection. In an age where loudness often takes centre stage, the French maison offers a pause: an invitation to observe with care, to feel with the eyes, to return to the origin of all things — the material itself.

Celebrating the elements gifted to us by nature, the collection elevates texture, allowing it to speak for itself. It is not merely about grand silhouettes or complex constructions — though these are present and executed with mastery — but rather a sensory experience. Each piece seems to say: come closer, touch me, I am real. Like clouds of cotton caressed by a gentle breeze, heralding the arrival of autumn.

Inspired by the English countryside and the Scottish moors, the collection pays tribute to Gabrielle Chanel’s enduring legacy — one deeply rooted in nature as a wellspring of inspiration. The house’s classics return, reimagined by the Creation Studio: suits in hues of ecru, ivory, brown, green and black, with proportions drawn from the masculine wardrobe, evoking freedom of movement and comfort without compromising on sophistication.

Tweed — the brand’s emblematic fabric — is reinterpreted with a woven softness reminiscent of knitwear; mohair in autumnal shades, and bouclé that mimics sheepskin. Even traditionally heavier textures are presented with an unexpected lightness, almost ethereal. In a palette that appears to have been sketched with chalk upon raw canvas, color accompanies this ode to stillness.

As ever, it is the details that set CHANEL apart. Gilded jewel buttons, embroidery that feels handcrafted stitch by stitch, feathers shaped like wheat stalks — a symbol of abundance beloved by Mademoiselle — and metallic lace that reflects winter light with golden warmth.

One of the most poetic gestures in the collection is how the material takes centre stage in the narrative. As though it were a prelude, a whisper of what is to come. Could CHANEL be preparing us for a new era in which textiles themselves are the absolute protagonists, particularly with the arrival of Matthieu Blazy? It is too soon to say. But one thing is certain: the dialogue between CHANEL Studio’s savoir-faire and Blazy’s contemporary sensibility will be among the most anticipated moments in the fashion world.

For now, we are left with a collection that does not shout, yet makes itself heard; that does not rush, yet advances. One that reminds us that in fashion, as in life, the essential is often found in what is felt — not in what is said.