Chanel Métiers D'Art 2021 Takes Over a French Renaissance Castle
Located in France's Loire Valley is an architectural remnant of the Renaissance, the Château de Chenonceau, a grand estate situated on the River Cher and the location of Chanel's Métiers D'Art 2021 showcase. The castle, also known as Le Château des Dames, owes its grandeur to Catherine de Medici, the queen of France and widow of King Henry II, who was a true Renaissance woman with a taste for luxurious design. Fittingly, her emblem of two interlocking C’s–something shared with the French fashion house–is found in friezes and on pillars across the property.
The Renaissance influence is reflected in Creative Director Virginie Viard’s Métiers D'Art 2021 collection. Opulent details complement the maison’s signature tweed, while the Château’s checkered floor is mirrored by black and white check print skirts. The inspiration was born from a fascination that Mademoiselle Coco Chanel herself had with the women of the Renaissance, which she one wrote as akin to, “a strange feeling of sympathy and admiration towards the women who lived from François I to Louis XIII,” because she found, “them all to be great, with a magnificent simplicity and a majesty imbued with onerous duties.”
Specific references to Medici can be found in a luxe black long coat and other all-black ensembles–which was the only color the queen was seen in after her husband’s passing–and in floral embroidery inspired by those of the queen’s garden. These details crafted by Chanel artisans, the grandeur of the collection, and the history of the setting were lensed by Juergen Teller for a preview of the collection, leading up to its release today.
See the full Chanel Métiers D’Art 2021 collection here:
