There’s been a lot of (often preemptive) talk in the last two years about a return to the ‘Roaring 20s’. In the 1920s, after the economic and social unrest of the First World War, there was a sudden explosion of creative energy and unbridled hedonism. Jazz bars became all the rage, fashion-forward women switched the austerity-era wool suits for embellished flapper dresses, and champagne flowed freely. F Scott Fitzgerald, himself at the centre of this new cultural zenith, went on to capture the excesses of the era in his great novel The Great Gatsby. While our own return to freewheeling pleasure-seeking is yet to eventuate (thanks Omicron), nods to the ’20s have nonetheless found themselves on the runway, but perhaps no one has done it as well as Virginie Viard, whose spring summer ’22 haute couture collection for Chanel—unveiled at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris overnight—was a tweed-filled love story to the style and sensibility of that decade.

The show opened with Chanel ambassador Charlotte Casiraghi entering the runway on horseback (the Monaco royal is a competitive equestrienne) in jodhpurs and a sharp tweed jacket, which was proceeded by a tight edit of 47 looks that Chanel-ified key silhouettes from the flapper era. Chiffon and organza dresses were made with classic 1920s hemlines, or embellished with coloured ostrich feathers, or crystal bead embellishments. Liquid silk gowns were draped to reveal back details or were finished with statement bubble hems. Even the famous Chanel bride (this time it was two bridal looks) had a refined ’20s sensibility, down to the delicate hairpiece the final ‘bride’ wore to close the show. The beauty look—bold graphic eyes in dark black make up—were an homage to the constructivist avant-garde movement of the era.

Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2022
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 25: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) A model walks the runway during the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Le Grand Palais Ephemere on January 25, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

The power of the show was amplified by the remarkable sets, an array of floating surrealist shapes crafted by the French artist Xavier Veilhan to mirror the original World Fairs and Orphism artists Sonia and Robert Delaunay. Veilhan was the first fine artist to be invited by Chanel to create stage sets in the maison’s history. “The idea for the show’s décor came from a longstanding desire to work with Xavier Veilhan. His references to constructivism remind me of those of Karl Lagerfeld,” Virginie Viard, Chanel’s creative director, in the show notes. “I like this similarity of spirit between us, now and across time.” Veilhan’s set included a cartoonishly oversized guitar which his friend and longtime Chanel collaborator, the French musician Sèbastian Tellier, played while models walked down the runway. The whole thing had a fabulously surreal energy—a common theme throughout this season’s couture collections.

And of course, one can’t talk about a Chanel show without speaking about the front row. Margot Robbie was in attendance (the actress is set to star in upcoming period pieces by Damien Chazelle and Wes Anderson, so perhaps she was taking costume notes), as was Pharrell, wearing the chicest oversized knit cardigan known to man and sitting alongside his wife Helen and very stylish 13-year-old son Rocket. French mainstays like Carole Bouquet, Vanessa Paradis, and Caroline de Maigret were there, alongside Sofia Coppola and Belgian pop sensation Angèle. The biggest take away? Whatever era you’re in, the best gatherings are always in Paris.

Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2022
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 25: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Charlotte Casiraghi rides a horse on the runway during the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Le Grand Palais Ephemere on January 25, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2022
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 25: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) A model walks the runway during the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Le Grand Palais Ephemere on January 25, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage)