��������

DUBAI: French Algerian model Loli Bahia brought a polished style to the Chanel runway during Paris Fashion Week recently, stepping out in a sharp suited look.

She wore a tailored charcoal-gray pantsuit featuring a structured single-breasted blazer with gold-tone buttons and matching wide-leg trousers. A cream knit top peeked out subtly beneath the blazer.

Her look was styled with a chunky gold-and-red statement chain necklace, a burgundy leather shoulder bag, and matching belt that coordinated with the accessories. She completed the outfit with two-toned beige and white heels.

Bahia shared the runway with Mona Tougaard who has Danish, Turkish, Somali, and Ethiopian roots.

Tougaard wore an ivory satin blouse with voluminous sleeves and a fitted waistband, paired with a black high-low skirt adorned with ivory feather embellishments that cascaded over layered black fabric.

These designs marked the debut collection of Chanel’s creative director Matthieu Blazy, who unveiled his vision for the century-old French fashion house with an evening runway show this week.

The presentation featured dropped waists and long, button-up shirts, concluding months of anticipation surrounding his first collection.

Blazy, 41, snagged fashion’s most coveted job in December. He is among several new designers recruited by labels seeking to spark the interest of inflation-weary shoppers.

Blazy’s debut at the Grand Palais in Paris drew several guests decked out in the brand’s signature tweed, the famous interlocking C logo visible on heels, jewelry and handbags.

Inside, gigantic, glowing planets hovered in the vast glass-and-steel exposition hall.

Models marched down the slick, black runway, parading low-waisted skirts, silk tops and elongated twin sets with frayed edges. Red carpet looks included full skirts with piles of colorful feathers, dresses with extra flounce and glittering knitwear.

Along with Chanel’s classic-look leather handbags, models also paraded what the brand called “crushed” versions in gold and silver with exposed seams and open flaps.

At the end of the show, the audience of over 2,000 gave Blazy a standing ovation as he ran out for his bow.

Blazy, who joined Chanel from Kering-owned Bottega Veneta, follows long-time Virginie Viard who left in June last year after a long collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld, the creative force behind the modern revival of Chanel until his death in 2019.

DUBAI: Lebanese couturier Elie Saab revealed his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday, with a pragmatic attitude to glamor evident in the line of blouses and pencil skirts.

Deva Cassel, Monica Bellucci’s daughter, opened the show wearing a khaki pencil skirt and a silk blouse.

And the beaded gowns synonymous with Saab were nowhere in sight. Instead, animal-print silk trench coats, blazers and wide-leg organza denim trousers were the order of the day.

“I wanted the collection to speak of a courageous woman,” Saab said backstage, according to Vogue. “Women are born courageous, I know that, but now the world needs them to be more fearless than ever.”

The collection was not without evening-ready glamor, but instead of voluminous ballgowns, printed chiffon was artfully draped in shorter dresses, while belted skirts and lighter-than-air blouses offered options for boardroom-to-restaurant outfits.

The show was staged at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo and attended by the likes of supermodel Heidi Klum and Saudi influencer Nojoud Al-Rumaihi.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski presented her Spring-Summer 2026 collection for Hermes in the barracks of the horse-backed Republican Guard security forces, staying true to the house's equestrian heritage.

“I wanted to bring a much more bohemian touch to horseback riding —- to show that it can also mean letting go, freedom, and a hint of ecstasy,” explained the French designer, who has designed women's collections for the label since 2014.

At Vivienne Westwood, inspiration came from old curtains, explained Austrian designer Andreas Kronthaler as he showed off a colorful new collection at the historic Institut de France that featured fluid, draped dresses and corseted baroque-style silhouettes.

Klum closed the show wearing a white, rhinestone-embellished bustier with a long cape, followed by the designer himself, who appeared with a bouquet of sunflowers so large he could barely carry it.