Chanel Métiers D’Art 2026: Matthieu Blazy Turns The New York Subway Into A Runway

Matthieu Blazy presented the Chanel Métiers D’Art 2026 fashion show in a New York City subway station (Photo: Chanel)

New Yorkers know that there is never a dull day on the subway. Case in point: this week, a subway station served as the backdrop for the Chanel Métiers D’Art 2026 fashion show, which saw a gathering of glamorous celebrities like Kristen Stewart, Tilda Swinton, G-Dragon, Ayo Edebiri and A$AP Rocky in New York City’s gritty underground.

It was a special occasion: Matthieu Blazy was presenting his first Métiers D’Art show, and his second show altogether for Chanel since being appointed as the French fashion house’s artistic director of fashion activities in December 2024.

Métiers D’Art presentations are usually held in destinations far beyond Chanel’s home city of Paris—the previous one was staged upon a lake in Hangzhou—and that Blazy chose the Big Apple for his big moment is no coincidence. After all, it was New York City that welcomed founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel during her first trip to America in 1931. For Blazy, the show is also a homecoming of sorts: the French designer lived in the city from 2016 to 2019, when he was the design director of Calvin Klein.

For Blazy, the subway perfectly captures the diversity and vibrant energy of New York City. “The New York subway belongs to all,” he says. “It is a place full of enigmatic yet wonderful encounters, a clash of pop archetypes, where everyone has somewhere to go and each is unique in what they wear. Like in the movies, they are the heroes of their own stories.”

Likewise, the Chanel Métiers D’Art 2026 show was full of characters. The show opened with a model in a quarter-zip pullover and light-wash blue jeans, her Chanel jacket casually thrown over her handbag. She captured the cool nonchalance of the French fashion house’s Gen Z customers. Then there was a lady in an elegant leopard tweed suit, a look that referenced Coco Chanel’s love for animal prints. The women who were dressed in the extravagant fringed tulip skirts could be rushing off to an art gallery opening somewhere, while the model in the fringed flapper dress with strands of beads around her neck was definitely dressed for a party—be it in the 1920s or the 2020s.

There were other classic New York characters to spot. Vittoria Ceretti resembled a modern-day Holly Golightly in her LBD and feather-embellished pumps. Another model donning a soft pink dress trimmed with feathers recreated a vision of Jackie Kennedy, who was famously clad in a pink Chanel suit when her husband was assassinated.

A leopard look from the show, nodding to Coco Chanel's love of animal prints (Photo: Chanel) — A leopard look from the show, nodding to Coco Chanel’s love of animal prints (Photo: Chanel)

Of course, the main star of every Métiers D’Art show is the craftsmanship of the clothes, achieved by the ateliers housed in Chanel’s creativity hub, Le19M. The aforementioned leopard tweed was handwoven by the artisans of Lesage. The fringed feather work seen on the dresses was done by Lemarié, one of the world’s oldest remaining plumassiers. Massaro, the maison that crafted Coco Chanel’s favourite two-tone shoes, created the slingbacks worn by models. And who could miss the standout hats and fascinators, each one handcrafted by the milliners of Maison Michel?

Ahead, discover the standout runway looks from the Chanel Métiers D’Art 2026 fashion show.