First Saint-Tropez and Antibes, then Les Baux-de-Provence and Monaco, and today Marseille, a port city that has always been an emblem of French multiculturalism and vivacity, already chosen by other illustrious maisons as a stop on the grand tour of their cruise défilés. And with Chanel, the bond is ancient and deep; for the first twinning between the griffe and the capital dates back to 1988, forged with the intention of boosting the region’s creative economy. Here, among the halls of the Château Borély – Musée des arts décoratifs de la faïence et de la mode, a retrospective of 24 garments from Mademoiselle Chanel’s personal wardrobe also unfolded, while today the museum hosts yet another one, displaying 7 double-C labeled goodies directly from her archives. In short; a long-lasting liaison between Marseille and the rue Cambon fashion house, which has set up a temporary radio station for the occasion, to mind a dialogue on creativity led by Chanel muses and ambassadors-including presenter Caroline de Maigret, but also Anna Mouglais, Charlotte Casiraghi, Lily-Rose Depp and Marion Cottilard-as well as personalities from Marseille’s cultural world.
But it is on the rain-soaked roof of MAMO – Centre d’art de la Cité radieuse that the Chanel Cruise 2024 2025 fashion show takes place; a marriage of sport couture and maritime allure that pays homage to the energy of the city according to Virginie Viard‘s personal suggestions. Lots of crochet, here and there neoprene accents to emerge from the icons of the house, and terry designated as the new material of choice for mythological handbags that will enrapture the heart. Palette in de rigueur black and white, yet lively when needed; softened by a pastel pink, enlivened by a lime green, brightened by a sunny yellow that brightens from the dreariness of adverse weather.
Short, ultra-short silhouettes leap to the eye; new dress code for the Chanel girl who dresses minis, cyclists and even hot pants abandoning for a moment the half-lengths that also endure, in a seditious verve that captures. “The sun, the architecture, the music, the dance: Marseille also has a very strong sense of freedom,” Virginie Viard says in fact in the collection press note. “I was inspired by the codes of everyday life and by everything that is an invitation to movement. The sea and the wind ignited my desire to play with the wetsuit.”
On costumes with hoods and vexatious bows that do not forgo the costume jewelry of maxi-pearls at the lobes, on sleeveless blouses or mini dresses with central zippers worn with shiny ballet flats that seem to be the extra-luxury evolution of traditional rock shoes. But the wetsuit also seals with sportiness the Chanel myths; the suit and the bouclé jackets, which arrive today rethought in the proportions of shoulders and lengths, over and with soft lines, ready to be shown off to seal a jumpsuit cinched at the waist by a double string of pearls. Cardigans, Bermuda shorts, t-shirts and boleros are crocheted and succeed each other on the platform alongside playful terrycloth outfits with a breezy, easygoing attitude.
Total denim – a trend for this and, to be sure, many other seasons to come – perfectly scheduled in multi-pocket uniforms and dungarees with visible logos, rages, and leather also continues to fascinate, which, declined on tops and cyclists, remains the rebellious soul of a défilé as always correct. Snow-white for the grand finale where airy Sangallo and camellia profiling arrive to reaffirm the timeless classics of the woman who patented modern dressing. However, there is also a (s)toned note that runs through the entire défilé and already intrigues: the flip flops with a polite wedge and terrycloth laces, a holiday fetish of the 2000s, little more than a slipper to be destined for swimming pools and vacation spots, today ennobled by Virginie Viard who elects them as the favorite footwear of the evening promenade chez Chanel.
And so, as usual, the result is an immortal style that when mitigated by the apparent style mistake – a micro shorts in the city, a flip-flop, a scuba hood peeping out of a suit – becomes even more interesting…