Arriving at the Grand Palais for Chanel’s Spring 2025 haute couture show, guests like Jennie, Dua Lipa, and Lily-Rose Depp were greeted by a massive mirrored climbing sculpture that stretched up to the glass barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Beaux-Arts landmark. If its form wasn’t immediately clear—unlike, for example, the spaceship or grocery store sets from the Karl Lagerfeld era—staff directed visitors to one of two interlocking C-shaped runways, where it became apparent they were scaling a Chanel logo.

Scenographer-designer Willo Perron had transformed the iconic double Cs into a shape reminiscent of an infinity symbol. This was a fitting metaphor for the immense power of this legendary house, which, in 2025, will celebrate the 110th anniversary of its haute couture ateliers and welcome its new creative director, Matthieu Blazy. In the meantime—Blazy’s first collection is expected for Spring 2026—the Creation Studio reminded us that while Coco Chanel famously said, “black has it all,” her timeless codes of pearls, camellias, and tweed look just as stunning in color.

Drawing inspiration from the majesty of the earth’s daily rotation, the collection opened with a sunrise sequence of bouclé miniskirt suits with puffed shoulders in soft, candy pastels, set to a sweeping orchestral score. (When I instinctively opened Shazam on my phone, the app helpfully identified the track as “River,” an original composition by Gustave Rudman for the show.) Chanel truly does it all. The procession built to a golden-hour crescendo, with color-blocked looks in rich jewel tones, including striking purple and orangey-red combinations: a tweed coat with a jacquard dress and a trompe l’oeil mandarin collar blouse paired with a hip-slung skirt that was one seamless piece.

Reimagining the magical transition between day and night, many looks featured rock crystal and rhinestone buttons shaped like the sun and the moon, astronomical motifs that also adorned black velvet belts. A series of little black dresses (LBDs) and long-short black dresses made from sheer fabrics that fell just below the thigh brought the focus back to Coco’s signature style. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine the founder approving the deep inky-blue tones used for several cocktail dresses, including a sequin-encrusted babydoll dress. It peeked out from beneath a long puffed cape, twinkling like stars in the night sky.