Paris Fashion Week is often a moment when fashion designers seek to transcend the limits of clothing to play with identities and roles. At the finale of the spring/summer 2025 edition, several major fashion houses used fashion to evoke characters, narratives, and aesthetics that delve into the collective imagination. Chanel, Miu Miu, Coperni, and Louis Vuitton each presented collections where clothing becomes a tool for shaping and expressing distinct personalities.
At Chanel, the return to the Grand Palais marked a moment of renewal, despite the absence of a permanent creative director. The collection, designed by the in-house team, offered a lighter and more relaxed approach. Tweed suits, the emblem of the house, were reinterpreted in more fluid cuts and lighter fabrics, while denim and transparent fabrics added a touch of modernity. The set, an immense white birdcage adorned with Chanel emblems, symbolized a liberation and a flight toward a new era for the brand. The garments, though luxurious, were intended to be worn in everyday life, evoking sportswear and freedom of movement.
Miuccia Prada, at Miu Miu, delved into the idea of controlled disorder. Her collection played on everyday gestures, like wearing clothes in an “incorrect” way – linen dresses with sweaters tied around the waist, or straps that seemed to slip off the shoulders. These details, far from being awkward, added to the offbeat charm of the collection, representing those women who, in the chaos of urban life, remain elegant despite their unstructured look. Prada also incorporated more classic fashion elements, with synthetic leather skirts and short jackets in bright colors, reminiscent of 2000s trends.
Louis Vuitton, led by Nicolas Ghesquière, continued his exploration of “soft power” through garments that blend eras and styles. Puffy jackets inspired by the Renaissance were paired with sporty shorts and hybrid sneakers, symbolizing the meeting of past and present. Ghesquière also introduced capes and oversized coats, pieces designed for modern superheroines navigating cities with confidence and elegance. This juxtaposition of contradictory elements – single-leg trousers, for example – helped highlight the subtle power of fashion to create unexpected visual dialogues.
Finally, Coperni, with its spectacular show organized at Disneyland Paris, closed the week with a touch of enchantment. Designers Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant transformed characters from the Disney universe into contemporary fashion figures, while preserving the playful and magical essence of fairy tales. Models walked in front of the park’s iconic castle, dressed in creations that evoked princesses, villains, and mermaids. Although some references to Disney characters were obvious, such as Mickey T-shirts or silhouettes inspired by Maleficent, the majority of the pieces were subtle and wearable, proving that even fantastical fashion can be integrated into real life.
These collections, though very different in their aesthetics, all shared the idea that clothing is not simply functional objects, but means of expressing oneself, playing roles, and reinventing oneself. Ultimately, Paris Fashion Week reminded us that, whatever the reality of daily life, it is always possible to escape and have fun through the clothes we choose to wear.
