As the fashion world reeled from the sad news of Karl Lagerfeld's untimely death earlier this year in February, the inevitable question of who would take on the legendary designer's position as Creative Director of Chanel was on everyone's lips.
But, in true Lagerfeld fashion, the illustrator and icon-maker had already set plans in motion, with longtime collaborator Virginie Viard taking the reins upon his death.
After working together on Karl's final collection for AW19 - a tribute to his design legacy - Viard has now made her solo ready-to-wear debut for the renowned fashion house at Paris Fashion Week.
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The SS20 show saw the Grand Palais transformed into the rooftops of Paris. A departure from Karl Lagerfeld's more extravagant set designs, often love letters to international locations he held close to his heart, Viard has been paying homage to the every day, having transformed the Chanel Haute Couture show into a library, and the Cruise show into a train station.
The accessories reflected this (comparably) stripped back mood, with almost every model wearing flats or block kitten heels and only one handbag per woman (Lagerfeld famously draped models with multiple bags).
Similarly, the clothing had a free and youthful feel, riffing on 1960s Paris, with hotpants coming in both tweed and denim iterations, feathers a-plenty and even puffball skirts.
Most tellingly, the show's finale look, usually reserved for one of Lagerfeld's awe-inspiring gowns, was a long skirt paired with a shirt, reiterating the brand’s new youthful focus.
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George Driver was the former Senior Beauty Editor - Digital at ELLE UK.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
