“I like to break the graphic approach with a natural look. The clothes remain light, feminine, designed to be worn. I can't see myself doing it any other way,” Virginie Viard told Anders Christian Madsen of her Chanel haute couture collection, which drew on the 1930s lines of Coco Chanel and contemporised them for a new era. Presented in an abstract equestrian sculpture set designed by Xavier Veilhan – who also created the last haute couture set – the show felt like a natural continuation of the tone Viard has already established at Chanel, and honed her slightly casualised approach to the house’s codes. Such ideas included roomy trouser suits structured with sporty undertones, long skirt suits that had an ease about them, and full-skirted evening dresses that demonstrated a minimalist view of haute couture. “I think it’s very important that Virginie feels totally free to go wherever she feels we need to go at Chanel,” the house’s President of Fashion, Bruno Pavlosky, said with a big smile. “She has my full support!”

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