Chanel pop symphony parade in Manchester

To march in Manchester in mid-December is to become part of a more or less insidious journey through the history of a city marked by music, whose musicians have left a lasting mark on the history of the genre, reaching beyond the city and even. country.

Thus, the first musical reference to this city that comes to mind is the band Joy Division, which later became New Order. this band’s first album cover Unknown pleasures, has become a worldwide symbol, featured on hundreds of thousands of T-shirts and all kinds of artifacts. We can also note the ever-increasing influence of the Smiths, another great musical group.

However, the good idea of ​​the parade was to be part not of the history of these iconic bands, but also of a more pop and colorful history, less melancholy than the history of Joy Division or the Smiths, and earlier in the past. Michel Gaubert, who chooses the music for Chanel’s shows, explains that the main musical inspiration for the show comes from a certain moment in the early 1970s, when kids from Manchester would gather at the Wigan Casino on weekends. dance to hits and rare pieces of American soul; this practice, known as Northern Soul, had a lasting influence on English pop. Several songs were covered by English bands, including the hit Dirty love, which in its version by the duo Soft Cell is one of the most representative hits of the 1980s, dances and spins. The fashion show played these cards. a very communicative joy highlighted by its soundtrack, but above all very present in the clothes.

“Bubble Pop”

The collection, as at the end of every year, is dedicated to artistic crafts associated with Chanel. In particular this year it was tweed, and its distinctive texture was at the forefront and was everywhere. But it was with patterns that were most often colorful, showing a pop, bright, edgy approach. These girls look like they’re ready to go out, party, rock the night, take over the town. They evoke their 1960s elders, freed from the constraints of inventing a line, silhouetted, sharp yet flexible. In it, tweed and its lines, which have been reconfigured here to become striking, modern, create a connection in the swinging sixties and 2024 in a tireless search for color to restore beauty to the world. His indifference too. Chanel Artistic Director Virgin Viard says: “Tweed is the central element of this collection. I was thinking a lot about Gabrielle Chanel, but I didn’t want to recreate Coco’s look when she was dressed in Duke of Westminster jackets. I was inspired by Coco, who used to color her tweeds. I added bubble pop.”

The venue did not say otherwise. the parade took place on a street in north Manchester where pubs and bars were clustered together. What’s more pop than a pub? Therefore, what was at stake left the collection to enter a much larger and dreamier field; an idea of ​​how a young woman can take over the street, the neighborhood, the city. And make up stories for a night of dance-inducing songs. As these girls moved forward we heard great powerful music, happy and energetic as Necessary genius By David Holmes and Raven VioletteWhat? from Soft Cell, Dirty love In the original version sung by Gloria Jones or even Great New Prince By The Fall, a little-known great band from Manchester born in the 1970s whose influence on the younger generations cannot be denied. All of these songs had one thing in common with the set, that they all burst with an energy that makes you want to go out, be outside, be at the height of your own sophistication.

During the parade finale, it’s New Order’s song, A strange love trianglewhich emphasized all this. her vibrancy and brightness completely enhanced the entire show, which we then realized was also part of the love trio of Chanel, Manchester and music.