In today’s fashion industry, a fashion catwalk must create a moment. Architecture, design, music and scenography come together to create immersive environments that shape how a collection is experienced. Chanel Shows: Fashion Mise-en-scène, published by Flammarion in collaboration with Éditions 7L, explores this distinctive dimension of the House, examining how its runway productions have contributed to its enduring cultural influence.
Featuring a foreword by the multi-talented Tilda Swinton, an introduction by Émilie Hammen and texts and interviews by Sonia Rachline, the book traces the creative inspirations, concepts and set designs behind Chanel’s shows from historical shows, to Karl Lagerfeld and Matthieu Blazy. Structured around seven themes inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s guiding principles, it considers how successive creative directors have reinterpreted the House’s identity through the art of design and spectacular presentation.
From Gabrielle Chanel’s intimate couture salons (these impressive mirrors) to Karl Lagerfeld’s immersive transformations of the Grand Palais, Chanel has consistently pushed the boundaries of runway scenography. Lagerfeld turned the venue into extraordinary landscapes, including an Alpine resort, a supermarket, an under water paradise, and a space launch station, demonstrating how a fashion show could become a theatrical experience in its own right.
Matthieu Blazy brings a fresh perspective to this tradition. His Spring/Summer 2026 debut transformed the Grand Palais into a cosmic landscape, with suspended planets and a reflective runway evoking the vastness of space. Music, including the work of Michel Gaubert (Britney Spears’ music was played at the last show bringing Dua Lipa and Pedro Pascal to dance) and his collaborators, further shaped the atmosphere, illustrating how sound and setting can become as integral to a collection as the garments themselves.
Beyond the spectacle, the book recognises the collaborative creativity behind these productions, bringing together fashion, architecture, music and performance. It also considers how runway imagery extends beyond the event itself, becoming part of the visual identity and collective memory of a fashion house.
Ultimately, Chanel Shows: Fashion Mise-en-scène by Flammarion offers a compelling perspective on the art of fashion presentation. By looking beyond the clothes to the worlds created around them, it reveals how Chanel continues to balance heritage with reinvention, transforming the runway into a space for artistic expression.
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Images: cover of the book and installation views by Patrick KOVARIK / AFP
