The Chanel Pre-Fall 2021 Métiers d’Art runway show takes place in the grand gallery of the Château de Chenoncea, designed and lived in by women, including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici.

“Showing at the Château de Chenonceau, at the “Château des Dames”, was an obvious choice. It is a castle on a human scale. And Catherine de’ Medici’s emblem was a monogram composed of two intertwined Cs, just like that of Chanel,” confides Virginie Viard.

The black and white chequered motif on the floor is reminiscent of a life-size game of checkers, and appears on sequined mini-skirts, as well as a long skirt in a fringed geometric tweed patchwork worn with a black and white jacquard sweater. A long coat in black velvet opens to reveal a suit-body in pale tweed. The warm hues of a tweed cape echo the famous tapestries of the castle, while the flowers from the two gardens, one created by Diane de Poitiers and the other by Catherine de’ Medici, located on either side of the castle, inspired the floral embroideries on the wide lapel of a jacket.

Chanel’s artisan accomplices live up to expectations more than ever: a long black lace dress composed of lattices punctuated with studs, made by Lemarié; the top of a damask dress embroidered entirely by Lesage; the two-tone sparkling silver platform sandals and the tapered black boots with fold-over cuffs and high heels made by Massaro.

An evening at the castle, watch the Chanel ‘Le Château des Dames’ Métiers d’art show, a contemporary evocation of the Château de Chenonceau.