In Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel, one can never have too many flowers.
Say what you will about him, but he’s remained consistently devoted to the natural world. As it happens, he’s apparently fond of fairy tales, too. Specifically, Les Fées, Contes des Contes—a small book discovered in Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment library that became the starting point for Chanel Haute Couture F/W26.
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Delightfully called Gaby and the Beanstalk, Blazy’s latest couture collection invited viewers into a world where shoes could sprout vines, bears could masquerade as minaudières, and a row of buttons could tell the story of an ugly duckling becoming a swan. Rather than simply referencing beloved tales, however, the collection imagined every garment as a story in itself. Hidden notes, painted silk linings, charms, and treasured objects stitched into the clothes created moments that belong to the wearer.
It’s a wonderfully fitting approach. Fairy tales reward curiosity, and so does couture. The closer you look, the more there is to discover.
As for the front row, guests included Alexa Demie, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Pidgeon, Pedro Pascal, Lupita Nyong’o, Zhang Zifeng, and Tilda Swinton.
If Gaby and the Beanstalk is any indication, Matthieu Blazy’s signature formula is meant to provide continuity as he adds more chapters to Chanel—one fairy tale at a time.
Photos: CHANEL
Frequently Asked Questions
Chanel Haute Couture F/W26, titled Gaby and the Beanstalk, is Matthieu Blazy’s fairy tale-inspired couture collection. It takes its starting point from Les Fées, Contes des Contes — a book of fairy tales discovered in Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment library. Each garment is conceived as a story in itself, with hidden notes, painted silk linings, charms, vine-sprouting shoes, bear-shaped minaudières, and narrative buttons stitched into the clothes as details that belong privately to the wearer.
Matthieu Blazy drew inspiration from Les Fées, Contes des Contes — a small book of fairy tales found in Gabrielle Chanel’s personal library. The collection, named Gaby and the Beanstalk, imagines couture as a storybook where curiosity is rewarded: the closer you look, the more narrative detail reveals itself through painted linings, hidden objects, and sculptural accessories.
The Chanel Haute Couture F/W26 front row included Alexa Demie, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Pidgeon, Pedro Pascal, Lupita Nyong’o, Zhang Zifeng, and Tilda Swinton — a guest list that reflects Blazy’s ability to draw both Hollywood prestige and global cultural figures to the house’s couture presentations.
Standout details in Gaby and the Beanstalk include shoes that appear to sprout vines, bear-shaped minaudières, buttons that narrate the ugly duckling’s transformation into a swan, garments with painted silk linings, and clothes with hidden notes and treasured objects stitched into the fabric — each piece designed to reward close, personal examination.
Blazy grounded the collection in a direct archival discovery — Les Fées, Contes des Contes, a fairy tale book found in Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment library. By naming the collection Gaby and the Beanstalk, he creates an intimate link between Chanel’s founder and the collection’s spirit of curiosity, wonder, and the hidden magic embedded in everyday objects.
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