More Chanel Trophy Tights Have Arrived

After the runaway success of Chanel’s black logo tights, which became influencer catnip after the autumn/winter 2020 show, it’s no surprise that creative director Virginie Viard has been plotting a follow-up entry-level product. No one, however, saw white fishnets coming.

At the Chanel Haute Couture spring/summer 2021 show, which was filmed in an empty Grand Palais, Viard sent models down a petal-strewn runway wearing posy-coloured prom dresses, sweet pink gowns with entirely ruffled bolero jackets, and bouclé skirt suits with unbuttoned jackets and belly chains peeping out. These youth-infused looks – designed, Viard said, to evoke the cheerful spirit of familial celebrations (hence those flower crowns) – were paired with ivory fishnet stockings and two-tone Mary Janes inspired by tango dancers.

If Viard’s most playful Chanel couture collection to date left you wondering about the wearability of those luxury nylons, consider the introduction of her black double-C deniers, which were paired with pirate boots on the runway. Swashbuckling shoes and logo tights soon became a badge of honour for the street-style set, for whom Chanel is always the holy grail. Ditto the shiny Lycra, bejewelled stretched velvet and alphabet leggings which have underscored recent collections. 

“I’m always thinking about what women would like to have in their wardrobe today,” said Viard of her latest edit, while neatly summing up the enduring allure of the house. Chanel is about what we would all very much like to have in our lives, but never what we truly need. And for next season, at least, it’s all about head-turning tights.

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