The French fashion house plans to unveil its annual Métiers d’Art collection on Dec. 1 at the Château de Chenonceau, one of the jewels of the Loire valley. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556-1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l’Orme, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570–1576 to designs by Jean Bullant.
Traditionally a traveling show that has alighted in destinations including Shanghai, Rome, Edinburgh, Salzburg and Dallas, the Métiers d’Art show was held in Paris last December in the wake of the death of Chanel’s longtime creative director Karl Lagerfeld earlier in the year.
Chanel is expected to be one of the first major brands to return to the catwalk this fall, with its show at the Grand Palais on Oct. 6 scheduled to be one of the highlights of Paris Fashion Week, which should also see brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermès welcome guests in a socially distanced manner.
Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, said in June that the French luxury house planned to resume its normal pace of collections and runway shows as soon as health conditions allow. “The fashion show remains the best way to express the brand’s creativity and know-how,” he explained.
Creative director Virginie Viard’s ready-to-wear show at the Grand Palais next month will be the last before the venue undergoes extensive renovations ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.
Chanel had planned to move its shows to a temporary venue at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, so its decision to venture out of the French capital for the Métiers d’Art show marks a departure for the house. It hopes to welcome guests at the event, unless the situation and consequent health obligations change in the interim.