“The New York subway belongs to all.” This was the essence of Matthieu Blazy’s debut Métiers d’art collection for Chanel. Traditionally, the Métiers d’art shows have served as an opportunity for the house to stage lavish, off-schedule presentations in unique locations, such as Dallas in 2013, Dakar in 2022, and Manchester in 2023. But for his second collection at Chanel, Blazy chose to match the hugeness of his debut and head straight to New York City. By transforming a classic New York subway into his runway, he presented a collection that felt like the city itself distilled into 81 looks.

What Blazy has already achieved at Chanel is a balance of deep respect for the archive with the introduction of styles and silhouettes that feel unmistakably his own. As with his debut collection, he once again had a lot of fun reinterpreting the classic bouclé tweed suit. Here, it appeared as an all-black number, matched with don’t-look-at-me shades and a Patsy Stone up-do. There was also an incredible cheetah print variation that was matched with black crocodile boots. Within the context of the subway station setting, these suits looked striking – a high fashion icon meeting the grit and grime of New York. 

This was a theme Blazy carried throughout the entire collection. In the show notes, he referenced an “amalgam of elevated craft and pop culture,” a concept that played out quite literally in several looks. One standout was a sequinned top emblazoned with the iconic I ❤️ NY graphic, while another was a cable-knit jumper featuring Chanel’s double-C reimagined in the style of Superman’s emblem. And surely, the headpiece in Look 34 was a deliberate nod to one of Andy Warhol’s signature wigs.

Elsewhere, there was a casualness to many looks that felt totally fresh for Chanel. It was the way that some models hauled, rather than held, their jackets. The way the handbag straps swung wildly as they walked. It was the way oversized jumpers slouched over skirts as though the temperature had suddenly dropped and warmth took precedence over styling. Until now, these gestures would have felt distinctly un-Chanel, yet Blazy seems intent on making the house feel far more wearable. He isn’t doing this by leaning into “wardrobe essentials,” but by simply loosening things up. Why not pair a sequinned pencil skirt with a cosy wool jumper depicting a winter scene? These outfits felt lived in, informed by a loose personal style. They felt so refreshingly normal.