Chanel's new Métiers d’art installation is a love letter to Manchester
Window shopping made chic
Chanel's Métiers d’art fashion show in Manchester last December got everyone talking – and a whole host of other houses following suit, debuting collections in UK destinations other than London.
Now's your chance to see the collection up close and personal, as Chanel has brought it's Métiers d’art collection to Harrods in London and Selfridges in Manchester with two exclusive installations.
Designed to capture the cultural energy of December's Thomas Street fashion show, each window features a series of catwalk looks against room-styled backdrops; doors seem to lead to other spaces, and one features a velvet-effect decor in homage to traditional British interiors.
Peppering the walls are Jamie Hawkesworth's candid portraits of young people, alongside Mikael Jansson's campaign photos. La Hacienda, the iconic Manchester night club, is referenced via optic stripes, while Mancunian artist Peter Saville's MCR logo (which appeared in Sofia Coppola's montage teaser for the show) appears front and centre.
As for the clothes, they wouldn't look out of place in the wardrobes of '60s cool-girls Marianne Faithfull or Anita Pallenberg – think tweed skirt suits with a colour-splashed pocket or matching baker boy hat, a slogan-adorned sports scarf, and flashes of neon, rebellious against otherwise monochrome tweeds.
'I didn't want rock-inspired looks,' said Virginie Viard. 'To create this collection, I was inspired by the women who are in love with musicians.' Long may this love affair continue.
Chanel's Métiers d’art window installation is at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL and at Selfridges, 1 Exchange Street, Manchester M3 1BD, until 23rd June 2024
