Chanel Goes Back to School for Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020

We're now a few seasons into seeing Virginie Viard's solo vision for Chanel unfold, but the world continues to watch closely to see how she interprets the brand. After all, Chanel is one of the most prominent couture houses in all of Paris, and Karl Lagerfeld's decades of defining maximalism make for a hard act to follow. Over the past year, we've seen Viard take her couture debut to a library within the Grand Palais, recreated the house's historic atelier for Métiers d'Art, and send an army of models with that French-girl je ne sais quoi across a replica of the Parisian rooftops. She has overall taken a more subtle approach, leaning into house codes and her own effortless French style, which keeps fashion insiders on their toes as they notice all the details.

Chanel's Haute Couture Spring 2020 show, Viard's second couture collection at the helm, kept this subtle-yet-chic oeuvre going with another acute study into the origins of Coco Chanel. This time, the Grand Palais morphed into a replica of the late designer's childhood convent school at Cistercian Abbey of Aubazine. There, Viard was able to connect with the original framework and continue honing in on the detailed craft that defines the house.

The result? Viard immediately created an impressive, distinct aesthetic by transporting viewers into a 1900s rustic garden, where garments told vivid stories of a childhood marked with uniformity and rigidity yet, within all of that, beauty. Drawing references from both subtle and substantial details of the convent, pieces were marked with fragments of Aubazine, from subtle hints of stained glass in pastel patterns to the convent girls' uniforms that later contributed to the signature black and white ensemble of Chanel herself.

While Viard was able to pull insurmountable amounts of inspiration from Gabrielle's childhood origins, she gives the collection a personal touch with smart contrasts and modernity. Schoolgirl-inspired white stockings and ankle socks paired seamlessly with long silhouette dresses and not-so-modest high slits, as seen on model Gigi Hadid (who just might be the house's designate risk-taker, if you look at the shorts from Spring 2020 ready-to-wear and the body chains from Métiers d'Art). Full and youthful-looking tulle skirts paired with smart sheer overlays, as modeled by Kaia Gerber. Other elements, including soft lace, loose, summery fits, tiered ruffles, and stunning oversize collars, made for a beautifully feminine collection that will no doubt help to define Viard's easygoing era at Chanel.

See looks from Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2020 in the gallery below.