Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2025 Show Was A Love Letter To Bows

A giant ribbon extending across Paris Grand Palais should’ve been a dead giveaway as to the direction Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2025 show would be steering. A signature of the heritage label since its inception, Gabrielle Chanel was a big fan of bows, often decorating her bobbed hair with them and also bedecking her boater hats with the dainty detail. So perhaps the timing is fitting: as the brand readies itself for a fresh chapter under new creative director Matthieu Blazy, it’s using this season to pay proper homage to the design codes that have solidified Chanel as an industry juggernaut.

“Bows coming in all sizes, delicate lines, transparencies, tweed with trompe l’oeil effects, illusion tulle, heels made of a single pearl: in this larger-than-life setting, the collection enhances the codes of the House with a dreamlike touch,” reads the Instagram post, giving followers a sneak peek at the ribboned venue ahead of the March 11 presentation. With a clear theme in place, the presentation commenced, with models processing around the winding runway in all manner of bow-bedecked ensembles.

One of the first looks included the brand’s take on the viral sheer aesthetic that’s swept designer collections — and social feeds — over the past year. Skewing more demure, Chanel’s creative team showed the brand’s classic ivory tweed skirt suit, covered in a transparent black organza overlay, tied sweetly at the neck with, that’s right, a bow. This ethereal, translucent detailing was a bit of a through line, draped over blazer dresses, skirts, and sleeves, offering a more work-appropriate way to embrace the trend.

Outerwear and fall-forward accessories took a dainty turn with roomy patent leather bomber jackets, oversized puffer coats, and fur-lined trench styles were accented with pretty ribboned clasps and ties as well as camellia flower appliqué (another house signature). Heeled leather lace-up boots — reminiscent of a 1920s style likely worn by the brand founder herself — gathered just below the knee in an indulgent bunch of ruffles and ribbons.

With Blazy’s modern eye positioned to transform the brand at the end of the year (his first show will be in October 2025), it seems Chanel’s creative team is allowing itself one final trip down memory lane before its next evolution. And with some 115 years of fashion iconography to harken back to, there’s truly no shortage of archival inspiration. But, often, the smallest detail can wield the strongest impact. In this case, a tiny bow can be credited for building a fashion empire — so it deserved its due.

Ahead, see the highlights from Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2025 show in Paris.