Chanel Haute Couture Celebrates Dancers in Ethereal Spring 2024 Collection

At the Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024 show, the first thing the audience probably noticed wasn't Virginie Viard's latest designs or even Margaret Qualley on the runway — it was the gargantuan double-C button hanging over the round runway.

According to the show notes, the button has long been an important motif for the French luxury house, not just as a design element that allows for freedom of movement, but as a decorative embellishment that can be iterated again and again.

The big theme of the haute couture season so far has been contrast — as we saw at Schiaparelli with the mix of "old world" and "new world," and as is evident at Chanel with the juxtaposition of stiff tweed and ethereal tulle. It begins as a single layer jutting out at the waist into a skirt overlay, then builds into a more defiant stream billowing outward from underneath. Viard plays into these visual illusions, layering sheer tulle trousers over opaque white tights to feign coverage and adding a translucent black panel underneath the hem of a mini skirt to evoke the look of a shadow.

If these opening looks feel reminiscent of dancers' costumes, Viard succeeded: In the notes, she writes about the role performance and performers have played not just in the history of the house, but in her work as a designer, and how that informed her latest haute couture collection.

"I have tried to bring together the power and finesse of bodies and clothes in a very ethereal collection, composed of tulle, ruffles, pleats and lace," she writes. "For me, dance evokes all these stories and emotions that are close to my heart, and that I take such pleasure in handing down and recounting."

Brand ambassador Qualley — herself a former ballerina — opened the show. Another win for the coquette aesthetic.

So much of the magic of haute couture comes from taking a beat to zoom in and admire the craftsmanship. This feels especially true for Viard's Chanel, which, despite doing just fine financially, can be... Well, just check Twitter/X. In runway imagery, especially, the styling can feel off, distracting from legitimately interesting details, like ruched vertical pleating with horizontal sequin embroidery on a coat or painted florals on a white lace dress. Where the Spring 2024 Haute Couture collection succeeds is with the looks that allow the construction of the garment to lead (see: a fitted-waist, button-front black overcoat with a tutu-like white mini skirt underneath; a longline black-and-white tweed jacket over a long, bubble-sleeved white tulle gown; a sheer black lace gown with blue sequins highlighting the floral pattern over a white tulle skirt), without making it so busy that you risk missing out on the details.

See the full Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024 collection below.

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

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