The ‘80s have never been more in—Chanel is making sure of that.

For spring/summer 2022, the iconic French brand revisited the haughty runway vibes of the 1980s, bringing back everything flirty and feminine at Paris Fashion Week. On a straight catwalk, models evoked heightened emotions. a sense of true charisma for the Chanel collection; smiles were given to the crowd, poses hit for flash photographers waiting in the wings. It is a return to fashion, a resurgence to the traditional ethos of Chanel.

Playing on the 80s theme, Chanel did for this collection what they always do best: sophisticated, soft, graceful womenswear. Only this time, the zeitgeist was captured in looks bold and edgy for the label. a contemporary mix of sleekness and sexiness, softened slightly by the feminine appeal of the label. Everything is about being mini—how thin can spaghetti straps be? How cropped can a top become, how much skin can we show in a maxi skirt? 

The collection is a triumph of fashion, a memento of the modern decade embedded so truly into the classic traditions of Chanel. Rather than only looking back to the old or only facing forward and shedding all sense of what makes Chanel Chanel, creative director Virginie Viard achieves both at once, a deep-dive into the future of fashion that retains Chanel’s iconic house codes. 

Pink tweed is balanced by futuristic icy gray and edgy black sequins; blazers, skirt suits and jackets are fitted to the modern girl with sheer skirts, high-waisted briefs, mini shorts and dangerously cropped tops. Leather and patent leather make for effortless French coolness, while billowing, silky black fabrics with an abstract multi-color print finalize the runway in a show of modernity and eclecticism, an introduction for Chanel into the era of bold prints and a demand for saturation.

Standout looks in the collection fuse Chanel’s feminine energy with the nuances of the 21st century woman: soft and edgy, tailored yet bold, classic while daring. A white Chanel cropped tank paired with a black maxi skirt with hip cut-outs is an easy visualizer for any model-off-duty style, while an all-black, sheer, sequined mini dress and matching vest brings dressing up into the scene of dressing down. A black and gold glittery jacket and skirt in Chanel’s classic cut recalls the magic of the label, while a cropped black bra top and striped maxi skirt hints at a vivid future. 

When it comes to the feminine appeal, no one does it like Chanel; and when it comes to the modern woman, it seems, Chanel knows how to dress her.