If you never thought you'd see the day when celebrities would pose for the cameras at a Chanel runway show from the base of the stairs to a subway station in NYC, I'm here to report that this is something that actually happened last night in NYC. Matthieu Blazy chose New York City as the site of his first Metiers d’art show since taking the creative director helm at Chanel, and seemingly every cool fashion person and celebrity in NYC came out to take in the collection.
Blazy's first collection for the fashion house during Paris Fashion Week S/S 26 was perhaps the buzziest of the season, as a new era at Chanel had clearly arrived. He solidified plenty of trends during the showing, as he set out to reimagine the signature Chanel look. For the Metiers d’art 2026 collection, which is an annual off-season pre-fall showing that Chanel embarked upon in 2002 to highlight the artistry and craftsmanship at the heart of the brand, Blazy furthered his vision for Chanel, showing his take on tweed, the casual side of Chanel (more on that below), and a slew of future It items.
Read on for all of the details on the show, from the subway setting to the celebrities in attendance to the trends the fashion crowd will embrace in 2026.
The Subway Setting
Chanel has a long history of staging its Metiers d’art shows in unexpected locations, with the previous one in NYC, in 2018, under Karl Lagerfeld, taking place in front of the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The decommissioned Bowery subway station chosen for the 2026 showing was no exception, and it was as quintessentially New York as you can get. There was even a model wearing Chanel's take on an I Love New York tourist tee. After the celebrities and fashion crowd in attendance descended the stairs to the platform, the models arrived via an actual subway car, with said platform serving as the runway.
The Starry Front Row
As per usual, when it comes to Chanel, the stars showed up in full force. A slew of high-profile attendees with a connection to NYC and-slash-or Chanel commingled on the platform, including the brand's newest ambassador, ASAP Rocky, Ayo Edebiri, Jon Bon Jovi, Bowen Yang, Tessa Thompson, Emily Ratajkowski, and too many more to name—all dressed in pieces from the new collection.
WHO: Ayo Edebiri
WHO: ASAP Rocky
WHO: Adwoa Aboah and Emily Ratajkowski
WHO: Kristen Stewart
WHO: Tessa Thompson
WHO: Jessie Buckley
WHO: Teyana Taylor
WHO: Riley Keough
WHO: Rose Byrne
The Matthieu Blazy-Approved Trends
It's clear from his first two collections that Blazy is taking wearability into careful consideration for his Chanel designs. The prominent trends that made their way down the subway platform runway last night for pre-fall 2026 were a reflection of that. Below are a few you're likely to see on all the cool fashion people in the coming year.
Bouclé Plaid
Blazy gave the F/W 25 plaid trend a fresh Chanel twist, presenting it primarily in the form of bouclé outerwear. Consider it the Chanel tweed jacket 2.0.
Fringe Trim
Is fringe trim the new lace trim? Blazy seems to think so (although the collection wasn't devoid of lace trim). We know from his Bottega Veneta days that he's a fan of fringe, and he's carrying that over to Chanel, via coats, skirts, and dresses.
The Basics
Some of my personal favorite looks in the collection were the ones that were pared-down and suitable for everyday wear. There were half-zip pullovers, oversized white tees, loose-fitting jeans and pleated trousers, crewneck sweaters, and button-down shirts, all accessorized with statement making jewelry, trend-forward heels, and future It bags.
Elegant Animal Print
The animal print trend shows no sides of fading, and the Chanel take on it is as elegant as can be. To name a few examples, Blazy designed top coats in graphic leopard and zebra print, a textured tiger-print sheath dress, and embellished animal-print skirt suits.
Pointed Cap-Toe Heels
It wouldn't be a Chanel collection without cap-toe shoes, and the 2026 iterations have pointed toes, V-cut vamps, and T-straps. In many cases, the cap toe was loosely imagined, taking the form of a triangle shape or a stripe.
Leather Trenches
Don't cast aside your leather bomber jacket, but the Metiers d’art indicated that the leather jacket style people will be craving in 2026 is elegant trench coats, some of which even had a moto jacket feel to them.
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