CHANEL presented its Cruise 2026/27 collection on April 28, 2026, in Biarritz, gathering a wide range of guests from film, music, and fashion. Attendees included ASAP Rocky, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Sofia Coppola, Marion Cotillard, Anamaria Vartolomei, Charlotte Casiraghi, Tara Emad, Nana Komatsu, Lena Schuett, Miu Natsha, Honor Swinton, Barbara Lennie, Anna Mouglalis, Leah Dou, Michaela Coel, Sayyid El Alami, 9m88, Jing-Hua Tseng, Ana Girardot, Anne Berest, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Paloma Elsesser, and Amélie Mauresmo among others.
CHANEL CRUISE 2026/27 LOOKS
Matthieu Blazy showcases his first CHANEL Cruise collection with a focus on Biarritz, the coastal city where Gabrielle Chanel established her couture house in 1915. The setting informs the collection’s direction, linking clothing to the sea, the beach, and daily life outside the Paris salon. The show builds on this history through garments shaped by ease, activity, and changing conditions.
The collection follows a clear idea: dressing and undressing as part of everyday experience. Silk foulard ensembles carry lightness, raffia skirts introduce texture, and cotton canvas suiting provides structure. The bathing suit plays a key part in this sequence, reinforcing the connection to the coast.
CHANEL interprets coral through open-knit constructions embroidered with pearls. The double C forms part of garment structure, shaping silhouettes through its curved lines. A black and white silk wrap dress appears with pumps carried in hand, leaving the wearer almost barefoot. This detail links the salon to the beach, where formality and ease meet within a single look.
Gabrielle Chanel’s marinière appears as a trucker jumper layered over a fringed skirt inspired by Biarritz beach umbrellas. A CHANEL beach dress appears in lightweight cashmere. A tweed jacket pairs with silk-knit jumpsuits that reference swimwear. These combinations connect workwear, leisure clothing, and formal dress.
Blazy draws from the environment that shaped Gabrielle Chanel’s early work. In Biarritz, she developed clothing that responded to outdoor life. Jersey, linen, and cotton allowed greater ease of movement and supported daily activity. These materials formed the basis of a new approach to dress that departed from restrictive silhouettes associated with formal salons.
The collection also returns to the black dress introduced in 1926. Gabrielle Chanel redefined its meaning by placing a garment associated with working women into a different social context. This shift altered how clothing functioned across classes. In the Cruise 2026/27 collection, Blazy presents this dress as the opening look, based on the original archival sketch. A bow absent from the original drawing appears as a clutch bag in this version.
Workwear continues to inform the collection through references such as the marinière and the bleu de travail. These garments carry both practical use and cultural meaning. Their inclusion reinforces the link between function and representation within CHANEL’s history.
Accessories extend the same ideas. Bags range from small valise designs to larger holdalls and striped beach paniers. A waterproof flap bag and a pala carrier appear within the selection. Footwear shifts between structured Art Deco heels and minimal forms such as heel caps. Jewellery reflects both architecture and coastal life through shell earrings and pearl pieces.
