CHANEL Cruise 2025-26 “A Cinematic Pause at Lake Como”. Story by RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo / Video Courtesy: CHANEL.

CHANEL’s Cruise 2025/26 collection was presented at the Villa d’Este, the iconic hotel set on the banks of Lake Como. Against this picturesque backdrop, the House staged a show rich in atmosphere, cinematic references, and star-studded attendance. Sofia Coppola, Keira Knightley, Lupita Nyong’o, Margaret Qualley, and many others gathered to see the latest expression of CHANEL’s cruise language—this time, crafted entirely by the Studio de Création.

The collection, created in-house by the atelier, reads as an elegant homage—a visual reinterpretation of codes developed under Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard. It doesn’t push boundaries, nor does it claim to. Instead, it’s a carefully composed study in CHANEL’s heritage: charming, wearable, and undeniably beautiful, though at times evoking the spirit of an elevated student work—more about technique than vision.

Presented between two white looks—a beach-ready robe manteau and a fluid satin gown—the lineup leaned into the relaxed rhythm of hotel life. Cruise staples like striped knits and soft tailoring appeared alongside shimmering lamé capes, macramé minis, and fluid pajama silhouettes in terracotta, lilac, and dusty bougainvillea tones. These were quiet nods to Villa d’Este’s wisteria-draped terraces and faded grandeur, rather than bold departures.

Eveningwear included sequined tweeds and backless gowns in rustling taffeta, with long gloves and pearl strands evoking the cinematic glamour that inspired the setting. Still, the collection’s energy remained contained—luxurious and polished, but without the dramatic edge one might expect from a brand preparing for a new creative chapter.

Indeed, this may be seen as a transitional moment. With Matthieu Blazy’s first ready-to-wear collection for CHANEL scheduled for October in Paris, Cruise 2025/26 offers a kind of interlude. It reflects the atelier’s fluency in house codes, but also its current position—maintaining legacy rather than redefining it.

At Lake Como, CHANEL didn’t reinvent the Cruise formula. It refined it. The result: a sophisticated collection steeped in references, grounded in savoir-faire, and clearly designed to resonate with clients who favor continuity over provocation.

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