If one brand is known for its sleek elegance, it’s Chanel. When you think of a Chanel suit or dress, you likely think of a monochrome soft styling with intricate jewelry, creating an utterly sophisticated look. This assumed simplicity makes their choice for Spring/Summer 2023 so revolutionary. Chanel focuses on the fragmented, the separate, combining different prints and shapes to create new meaning. These garments maintain the classic Chanel styling but are so deeply new in how they mix and match their sources. It’s not only a flawless collection, but it shows the movement of Chanel towards something new, something bigger. 

The collection is a collage in two meanings, both of which are important to understanding Chanel’s aesthetic desires. First off, the looks themselves are frequently collages of fabric and jewelry, bringing together different visions. Consider the collection’s white and pink suit, built in squares of color of different shades. The look is clean and wearable, but maintains its complexity in the compiling of hues. What could have been a simple Chanel tailored suit gains new meaning, new life. 

It’s also a collage garment-to-garment, creating a certain vision of what a runway show should be. Pairing black, drab matching sets with white, pure dresses, the collection toys with uniformity and what it means to match inspiration. Where many previous Chanel collections have been utterly specific in their vision, this collection finds its meaning in the variety, in the ability to do everything. And, as is always true of Chanel, it does everything well. 

Not everything is a departure from the Chanel brand. There are several looks that are so classically Chanel, so iconically that designer color palette and brand direction, that they scream out at you. Belted collar dresses are a brand staple, and they’re found in the SS23 collection in multitudes. The monochrome suit is surely there, but so is the multi-colored. That’s what makes this collection such a great vision: it can hold the history of Chanel close, while also expanding to something new. 

Past Chanel critics have frequently argued that the brand feels too safe, too standard. At some point in the late 2010s, it started to feel like all the Chanel shows looked the same. This collection seems to be a direct response to these critics, showing that you can maintain a brand legacy while innovating upon the standard. As both a statement and a retort, this collection passes with flying colors.