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Fashion

Chanel’s First Show Post-Lagerfeld Was An Ode To The Brand's Most Iconic Eras

Virginie Viard's Cruise 2020 collection paid homage to Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld

by Jenna Igneri

Following the death of Karl Lagerfeld this past February, the world wondered what would become of Chanel, the Parisian fashion house he was at the helm of for over three decades. The same day, the brand announced that Virginie Viard, his longtime right-hand woman and collaborator, would be taking over.

Earlier this morning in Paris, Viard's first collection—though Lagerfeld died prior to Chanel's Paris Fashion Week show, he was involved in the designs for it—made its debut, and it was the perfect ode to her predecessors; the opening look and closing looks were modernized versions of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's and Lagerfeld's personal aesthetics, respectively.

The collection, which was set in a faux train station built within Paris' Grand Palais, covered a lot of ground with nods to a number of eras of Chanel—from the '30s to the '80s, and beyond. We saw everything from logo-emblazoned catsuits and camellia-embellished gowns to utilitarian suiting and sporty knitwear. Accessories included modular-looking Mary Janes, the brand's classic layering of logo jewelry, and a candy-colored assortment of quilted bags—including crossbody fanny packs, oversized clutches, and more. Of course, we also saw a handful of the brand's classic tweed skirt suits in a range of colors, which paid homage to Coco while still feeling apt for 2020.

While Viard's first collection for the legendary house wasn't overly extravagant, such as many of those of Lagerfeld's era, we must say, we're excited to see what else is to come. Check out the Resort 2020 collection highlights, below.

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images