Chanel

Chanel is the rare maison whose founder's silhouette still draws the dress. Gabrielle Chanel opened a hat shop in Paris in 1910 and, within a decade, had translated the comfort of menswear into a wardrobe for the modern woman — jersey, navy stripes, costume jewelry worn like armor. The house she left behind has, more than a century on, remained recognizably hers.

Under Karl Lagerfeld's 36-year tenure, Chanel became the model for how a heritage house could keep moving — quoting itself, parodying itself, occasionally outrunning itself — without forgetting where it was from. Virginie Viard's quieter five-year stretch was the corrective, paring the silhouette back to its working core.

The arrival of Matthieu Blazy in late 2024, after his celebrated run at Bottega Veneta, marks the house's first creative director recruited explicitly for craft fluency over showmanship — a signal of where Chanel believes the next decade is heading.

The arrival of Matthieu Blazy in late 2024, after his celebrated run at Bottega Veneta, marks the house's first creative director recruited explicitly for craft fluency over showmanship — a signal of where Chanel believes the next decade is heading.