Directors Cut
There was a time when I could name the Creative Directors of all the big fashion houses and followed their careers when their tenure ended, There was Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen who was Lee McQueen’s successor in 2010 and stayed until 2023, Tom Ford who I first knew of from his iconic stint at Gucci in the mid 90s, Phoebe Philo who took over from Stella McCartney at Chloe, establishing the luxury fashion house as a global force, created (heaviest bag ever) the Paddington (remember the one with the giant padlock? if you have one time to dust it off its 20 years since its release and having a moment) before moving to Celine where she spent 10 years redefining minimalism, so much so that when she left the French house there was a revolt by her loyal customers who resorted to wearing and sharing #oldCeline in favour of the new Celine headed up by Hedi Slimane - who came from Yves Saint Laurent and gave the very pared back Celine a rock n roll vibe as well as dropping the French accent over the E in 2018, Alessandro Michele piqued by interest a little with his 70s makeover at Gucci but then I gave up.
I'm not sure exactly when I stopped taking an interest in who had secured the top jobs, if it was because they were all men or because no one stayed long enough for me to care, but there was a period when even though fashion is my jam I couldn't have named the creative directors names off the top of my head if you had offered me money, that is except one, Karl Lagerfeld, whose 36 year stint at Chanel turning it from a stuffy legacy brand to a global powerhouse and making it easily the most recognizable fashion brand logo on the planet, his tenure ended with his death in 2019. Virginie Viard who served as Lagerfeld's right hand took over, the first woman to do so since Coco Chanel, until 2024 when they poached Matthieu Blazy from Bottega Veneta.
The top job at Chanel carries a big weight, not just because its an estimated £28 billion business but because of the legacy of Chanel and its success under its long-time caretaker and so to see someone take over and not just respectfully maintain the brands status in the luxury sector, honour designs that are over 100 years old whilst simultaneously inspiring a whole new generation to fall in love with the interlocking Cs is remarkable to say the least. His latest showcase held in Biarritz, the seaside town where Gabrielle Chanel opened her first couture Salon back in 1915 was so joyful and inspiring it was easy to forget that the pieces will only ever be worn by the world's top 1% of women.
For summer 2026 if you want to get on the Chanel train without remortgaging your house think Masculine tailoring but with softer edges, frayed hems, mixed textured, cropped shapes to keep it feminine, Sheer, gauzy layers in pastel colours, silky Pyjama sets and croc embossed accessories and if you see this look out and about, now you know its the Blazy effect.
