Chanel transformed the New York City subway into a runway for its Métiers d’art show, staging the premiere at the abandoned Bowery station in downtown Manhattan. The move gave the city’s bustling urban landscape a new, bright face – where style meets everyday life on the urban underground stage.
“It’s an emotional environment. It feels cinematic.”
“If it says something about what we want and where we are, I find it incredibly uplifting, emotional, and utterly realized.”
It wasn’t shot on a real train – it was the abandoned Bowery platform, regularly used for filming. That’s how Chanel Métiers d’art chose the urban stage to emphasize the collection’s idea: clothing ready for real life, comfortable and at the same time expressive even in the subway.
Long sojourns underground in the city’s subway don’t often feel this glamorous: light, plywood, and minimalist details create a cinematic atmosphere right in the underground.
Stewart, who has been Chanel’s ambassador since 2013, saw realism in the pairing of everyday pieces with ceremonially formal details. In the frame she wore outfits with jackets that hung slightly off the arms, and newspapers tucked into bags – elements that underscore the concept of clothing for real life.
“Being able to wear all of this and look this way is the aspiration,” Stewart told reporters. “It’s hard to find yourself at a fashion show. But there was so much ‘I’.”
Matthieu Blazy, Chanel’s new artistic director, has drawn praise in recent months – from celebrities wearing his clothes, like Stewart, to editors and influencers who celebrated his Paris Fashion Week debut. The show demonstrates how the brand can fuse elegance with urban rhythm, drawing attention to its craftsmanship.
Despite the rain and chilly air, the atmosphere among Chanel’s stars – Tilda Swinton, Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, and Margaret Qualley – remained buoyant. New York proved a symbolic choice for the presentation: Chanel emphasizes that the brand’s founder traveled frequently to this city, and the American market is filled with VICs – Very Important Customers who spend substantial sums on the label’s favorite pieces. The idea of riding the subway is a recreation of a lifestyle where style is tightly linked to everyday life.
Christine Baranski, the show’s star, walked by in a look reminiscent of Suzy Parker from the late 1950s – showing how elegance can freely roam urban corridors while also being part of everyday life.
The Métiers d’art collection traditionally debuts in December in glamorous locations around the world, highlighting Chanel’s atelier craftsmanship – from Maison Michel to Massaro and Lesage – and proving that their artisanal craft is still alive. The show emphasizes Chanel’s philosophy: clothing for real life – comfortable, yet expressive. Blazy highlighted pragmatic glamour and inventive accessories: flip dresses, beaded skirts, and other solutions that move with the light just as Coco Chanel’s elegance and Jean Patou’s designs of the 1920s did.
And finally: Angel Reese – a basketball star who attended the show. She noted that there is an inseparable link between appearance and feeling: “I think looking good means feeling good,” she added.
“I think looking good means feeling good,”
“Now that we’re integrating fashion into basketball, the possibility of walking through the tunnel in good attire and then changing looks in the locker room inspires me to know that I can keep doing both, because it’s possible and all things are possible.”