“Far from the Paris salon, Chanel found in Biarritz different ways of being and seeing, of movement and freedom... It is a place that offers the perfect balance between function and fiction.”
Biarritz is where it all began. For it was here on the Basque coast that Gabrielle Chanel chose to open her first couture house in 1915 — bringing the boutique, ateliers, salon, and apartment all together under one roof. A foreshadowing of the Maison’s famous address on rue Cambon. And of the very first CHANEL Cruise collection for Artistic Director Matthieu Blazy.
Before there was Paris, there was Biarritz. And by showing his first Cruise collection in Biarritz earlier this year, Matthieu Blazy paid tribute to the storied history of the House. While writing his own chapter in the CHANEL history books with the announcement that the Cruise 2026/27 collection will make its next stopover in Sydney this November.
The news marks a world first for Australia and a bold choice for Blazy, who has chosen the glittering city of Sydney for its spectacular harbour and world-famous surf beaches — the perfect backdrop for his mermaidesque Cruise collection. A dive through the archives for a new kind of glamour that was swimming in sequins and pearls, seashells and braided raffia.
As is always the case with Blazy’s collections, the accessories were a standout. Among them were earrings reminiscent of oversized conch shells and a brooch that called to mind coral starbursts from galaxies far and wide. Blazy’s resort vision is a world in which mermaid scale sequins meet fishnet open knits and wet-look hair. Where the dress code includes a thigh-high split or a triangle bikini styled beneath a tweed twinset. And where basket weave handbags are the carryall of choice, striped swimming caps are for everyday, and shoes are best kept in hand.
The backdrop for this collection was the famed Casino Municipal in Biarritz, just steps away from where Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel opened her very first couture house in 1915. And the mirrored ceiling of this special location reflected the rhythmic waves just beyond, while the beige carpet was like soft sand underfoot — just as Coco herself fashioned it for her own apartment at 31 rue Cambon.
This was a colourful collection, resplendent with soft blues, pastel pinks, and seafoam green fit for a mermaid. Focused on movement and the spirit of elsewhere, it’s a collection that will likely feel right at home on the shores of Sydney this November 5.
A fitting full circle moment.
In Biarritz Coco discovered an essential chapter in her construction of style: a world of the outdoors and the natural elements, of sea and sand, sunshine and wind. Where movement was de rigeur and Gabrielle Chanel created the wardrobe to match.
It was the location for her first couture house. And for his first Cruise collection. Now it will mark Australia’s first CHANEL runway. For Matthieu Blazy’s next chapter in CHANEL’s storied history, it is back to a world of the outdoors and the natural elements, of sea and sand, sunshine and wind. Where movement is de rigeur and Matthieu Blazy has created the wardrobe to match.
Biarritz is where it all began. For it was here on the Basque coast that Gabrielle Chanel chose to open her first couture house in 1915 — bringing the boutique, ateliers, salon, and apartment all together under one roof. A foreshadowing of the Maison’s famous address on rue Cambon. And of the very first CHANEL Cruise collection for Artistic Director Matthieu Blazy.
Before there was Paris, there was Biarritz. And by showing his first Cruise collection in Biarritz earlier this year, Matthieu Blazy paid tribute to the storied history of the House. While writing his own chapter in the CHANEL history books with the announcement that the Cruise 2026/27 collection will make its next stopover in Sydney this November.
The news marks a world first for Australia and a bold choice for Blazy, who has chosen the glittering city of Sydney for its spectacular harbour and world-famous surf beaches — the perfect backdrop for his mermaidesque Cruise collection. A dive through the archives for a new kind of glamour that was swimming in sequins and pearls, seashells and braided raffia.
As is always the case with Blazy’s collections, the accessories were a standout. Among them were earrings reminiscent of oversized conch shells and a brooch that called to mind coral starbursts from galaxies far and wide. Blazy’s resort vision is a world in which mermaid scale sequins meet fishnet open knits and wet-look hair. Where the dress code includes a thigh-high split or a triangle bikini styled beneath a tweed twinset. And where basket weave handbags are the carryall of choice, striped swimming caps are for everyday, and shoes are best kept in hand.
The backdrop for this collection was the famed Casino Municipal in Biarritz, just steps away from where Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel opened her very first couture house in 1915. And the mirrored ceiling of this special location reflected the rhythmic waves just beyond, while the beige carpet was like soft sand underfoot — just as Coco herself fashioned it for her own apartment at 31 rue Cambon.
This was a colourful collection, resplendent with soft blues, pastel pinks, and seafoam green fit for a mermaid. Focused on movement and the spirit of elsewhere, it’s a collection that will likely feel right at home on the shores of Sydney this November 5.
A fitting full circle moment.
In Biarritz Coco discovered an essential chapter in her construction of style: a world of the outdoors and the natural elements, of sea and sand, sunshine and wind. Where movement was de rigeur and Gabrielle Chanel created the wardrobe to match.
It was the location for her first couture house. And for his first Cruise collection. Now it will mark Australia’s first CHANEL runway. For Matthieu Blazy’s next chapter in CHANEL’s storied history, it is back to a world of the outdoors and the natural elements, of sea and sand, sunshine and wind. Where movement is de rigeur and Matthieu Blazy has created the wardrobe to match.
