In pictures: Virginie Viard’s most unforgettable Chanel fashion shows

He devoted his entire career to the house on Kambo Street. Virginie Viard arrived at Chanel in 1987, aged just 25. At that time, she joined an embroidery studio there as an intern at the recommendation of a courtier to Prince Rainier of Monaco, who knew both the Viard family and those close to Karl Lagerfeld. After working at Chloé from 1992 to 1997, she returned to Chanel and stayed there. Over the years, Virginie Viard rose through the ranks, becoming creative studio director in 2000 and Karl Lagerfeld’s right-hand man for years. When the designer died in 2019, he took over the reins of the house, effective immediately.

A faithful and diligent journey that is coming to an end. the departure of the designer was announced on the night of June 5-6, shocking the fashion world. Virginie Viard therefore stayed on as Chanel’s creative director for 5 years. A mandate during which he envisioned around thirty collections and, depending on the brand, “I knew how to update the codes of the house while respecting Chanel’s creative heritage”.

Virginie Viard’s first show as captain of the house with the two Cs kicks off the fall-winter 2019 haute couture season at the Grand Palais, which has been emptied of all its craft and transformed into a train station, with guests perched on wooden benches to discover what will happen the first collection of the “post-Carlian” era. The theme is symbolic, it evokes a transition, a journey, a new beginning. The designer then made his mark over the years and collections without taking too many risks. She revisited the essentials, from two-tone ballerinas to tweed jackets, and perpetuated Chanel’s legacy with lots of camellias and bright colors. This Chanel stalwart will officially step down on June 25, 2024, according to Fashion Network, the day of the Fall/Winter 2024 Haute Couture fashion show.