Latest news with #WilloPerron


The National
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Chanel's autumn/winter haute couture collection is a moment of introspection between creative directors
The setting for Chanel 's autumn/winter 2025-2026 haute couture show at the Salon d'Honneur in Paris's Grand Palais made its intention clear: this was a moment of understatement and reflection, as the maison prepares to enter a new era. The space was designed by Willo Perron, the French-Canadian multidisciplinary creative director who won a Grammy for his work on musician St Vincent's album art and was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the Savage x Fenty show. Here, his approach to the space was pared-back and an echo of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's original couture salon – and her private apartment – at 31 Rue Cambon. From the signature mirrors to the beige, sofa-like seating and quilted pillows, nods to her influence were everywhere. The collection itself came between the departure of creative director Virginie Viard – Karl Lagerfeld's longtime successor – and the arrival of Matthieu Blazy. In the interim, the Chanel Creation Studio took over the reins. Usually working behind the scenes, the studio delivered a quiet, considered collection, rooted in the founder's ethos of elegant practicality and lasting legacy. Yet, this was no placeholder. Chanel led with intention – every look was sent out with sturdy, thigh-high boots, grounding the collection in a sense of purpose. The opening look was a below-the-knee shift dress that appeared deceptively simple. But, being Chanel, it was anything but. The round collar was notched at the throat, the shoulders subtly padded to give a masculine line – an homage to Gabrielle Chanel's signature borrowing from menswear. It was crafted in cream boucle tweed, trimmed with metallic sequins and fringed threads. A shorter, sleeveless version followed, paired with a buttoned overskirt at the hips. Then came a third variation beneath a cape strewn with feathers – proof of the house's signature versatility. That duality appeared throughout: a pocket miniskirt layered over a pencil skirt; pannier-like pockets over a black-and-white floor-length gown; a sheer overskirt floating above a textured white minidress. Refined and pastoral, the collection drew on the English countryside and Scottish moors, reflected in the natural palette of ecru, ivory, brown, green and black. The studio's craftsmanship shone in pieces like a sheer cape and skirt seemingly woven from chiffon ribbons, a densely sequinned high-neck top, and a delicate chiffon and lace blouse paired with a shredded sequins skirt. One jacket appeared dusted with wisps of white, like settling snow. The wintry mood culminated in the bride's final look: a gown covered in white sequins that shimmered like ice, cascading down the skirts. Completing the tableau were ears of wheat – a symbol of abundance beloved by Gabrielle Chanel and present throughout her apartment, including in a painting by Salvador Dali that sits above her sofa and that inspired the seating at the haute couture show. Gold wheat ears were placed on each guest's seat, and the motif reappeared in feathers woven into the flounces of a black-and-white chiffon dress and embroidered along the wedding gown's neckline. It also featured on numerous jewel buttons throughout the collection. Choosing the intimacy of the Salon d'Honneur over the vast nave beneath the Grand Palais's glass dome, where Chanel has previously held many of their shows, was no coincidence. This show was designed to invite quiet reflection – both for the audience and for the maison itself.

Grazia USA
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Grazia USA
Natural Origins: Chanel Honours Beginnings For Fall/Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture
Chanel Fall/Winter 2025/2026 Haute Couture / All images: supplied It all begins at 31 rue Cambon. The legendary mirrored staircase, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's apartment above, the hallowed Haute Couture salons below—Chanel's Fall/Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture show is a luminous return to the House's birthplace, both literal and symbolic. In a teaser video directed by Malick Bodian and a show set at the Grand Palais, with the Salon d'Honneur artfully fitted out by Willo Perron, the mood is one of introspection and natural elegance. Nature serves as both a muse and a motif, with a collection that draws inspiration from the significance of origins. The Maison's creation studio's vision channels the Scottish Highlands and English countryside that once enchanted Mademoiselle Chanel herself, and first acquainted her with some of the House codes we know today—tweed, Chanel's eternal fabric, being one of them. But on this runway, it is transformed, reading like knitwear in a plum mohair suit and a snowy white coat dress trimmed with braiding. Elsewhere, it mimics sheepskin, paired with feathers for a trompe l'oeil effect, across short jackets, gilets, and long coats. Ecru, moss, mahogany, and black thread are woven through classic silhouettes borrowed from menswear—boxy jackets, relaxed trousers, and military-style coat dresses, all imbued with a pastoral calm and styled with a contemporary insouciance. Ears of wheat—symbols of abundance and a personal talisman of the founder—appear sporadically embroidered onto chiffon flounces, glinting in gold buttons, lining the neckline of the iconic Chanel bride's finale gown. A chevroned pant ensemble and multicoloured floral embroidery, seen on a satin crêpe pinafore, continue the homage to land and harvest. And as the show draws to a close, the palette shifts. Sunlight is summoned in golden buttons, burnished lace, and a flounced lamé dress in gleaming orange tones—a moment of light at the end of the season where midriffs are bared and layers slip away. topics: Chanel, Paris Haute Couture Week, HAUTE COUTURE, fashion, fashion week, Fashion news, Fashion Shows, Runway, Matthieu Blazy, Paris Fashion Week, Trending


New York Times
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What Makes His Taste So Good?
Perhaps you've seen Beyoncé soaring over crowds in a floating horseshoe at her Cowboy Carter tour performances, or riding a metallic mechanical bull. If you've wondered who came up with those stunts, the answer involves Willo Perron. 'She really is, in my eyes, the last of a type of an entertainer-performer,' Mr. Perron, the tour's stage designer, said over tea at Corner Bar, a restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in April. 'Really, I've never seen somebody work so diligently.' He was speaking with the perspective of someone who has also worked with Rihanna (on her Super Bowl LVII halftime show), with Drake (on the Aubrey and the Three Migos tour) and with Florence and the Machine (on the group's High As Hope tour). 'It makes you have to kind of show up at such a high level all the time,' Mr. Perron said of working with Beyoncé. 'And it's good, it's like playing a sport with somebody who is much better than you. Hopefully, it makes you a little bit better yourself.' Mr. Perron, 51, is one of those people who is hard to put a label on professionally — the type of creative mind whose fluency in various mediums has led some to call him a cultural polymath and others a world builder. 'What I do is like planting seeds with no expectations,' he said. 'Just constantly planting seeds and planting seeds. And then if something grows, then I give it attention. And then simultaneously, this thing will grow over here and I'll give that a little bit of attention.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.