This edition of my article is mainly just a yap session about the things that have happened in fashion!
Earlier in Paris, the Le Bal des Débutantes, also known as the “nepo baby Met Gala”, occurred. This event invites the descendants of royalty, dignitaries, and Hollywood legends to gather at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, France to be ushered into womanhood.
This ball invites women between the ages of 16 and 22 from high-level families of designers, distant relatives of royalty, political dynasties, royal lineages, and your gold-standard Hollywood nepo babies to don the top-of-the-line couture looks and convene with fellow fancy ladies.
This year, brands such as Guo Pei, Rick Owens, Chrome Hearts, and Schiaparelli were present. Ranging from mid outfits to the most avant-garde, this event means nothing to the average person because most people don’t even know that balls like these even happen anymore. Should you care? Well, no! The debutante ball has faced backlash for celebrating inherited wealth and nepotism, all while the working class faces economic uncertainty. Critics even compare it to The Hunger Games and question whether glorifying elite youth is appropriate when global unemployment and recession fears are rising.
Another big event that happened, the day that I am writing this, was Chanel’s Métiers d’Art 2026 Show, which marked Matthieu Blazy’s first Métiers d’Art collection. This collection, which took place in New York, combines Chanel’s most witty and eclectic side, showcasing the fashion house’s high levels of craftsmanship. Métiers d’Art means “art professions” and pays homage to the small specialist workshops that preserve the expertise and craftsmanship of French luxury.
This collection, in comparison to Blazy’s debut at Chanel, felt even more refreshing and fun than anything that Virginie Viard ever produced, clothing-wise. His bags felt more on par with his previous collection, which emphasized the craftsmanship of the house, while the clothes, which included a Superman-esque logo, were a lot more playful and showed the eclectic side that Chanel has been missing. Even though his collections are so divisive since they take a lot of codes from his time at Bottega Veneta, I really appreciate his work because it’s such a stark difference from the previous Chanel that people grew accustomed to. I think this is what Chanel needs, and I am excited to continue seeing his growth.
