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For the last two weeks, everyone's been talking about Chanel. In taking over the house, Matthieu Blazy did something incredible. He'screated a frenzy.The brand's stores are alive with customers snapping up the latest drop. Fashion group chats are swapping details of purchases and in-store availability. The new creative director has made uswant. And he's done so across all categories.
Blazy's predecessor, Karl Lagerfeld, made skirt suits synonymous with Chanel throughout his 30-plus-year tenure at the helm. He pulled greatly from Gabrielle Chanel's design principles of the 1950s—that's where those tweed-y, straight silhouettes came from—turning the Chanel jacket into an icon of fashion lore. As the years ticked by, those ideas became his schtick, clothes that felt prim and proper in those nubby fabrics, modernized in candy colorways or by the interpretation of stylish women. He made the brand so strong, the ready-to-wear so distinguished, that an unmarked garment is as recognizable as a logo.
It might have felt like an insurmountable task, but Blazy has managed to keep those codes alive—his collections stilllookvery much like Chanel. But he made them feel fresh and cool and young by subtly manipulating silhouettes, evolving fabrications, and rethinking styling. And as his first designs hit stores, the brand's boutiques are packed with shoppers clamoring for the croc heels and the maxi flap bags. Me? I want a skirt suit.
In his first collection for the house for Spring 2026, Blazy debuted a new silhouette for the brand's famous skirt suit, one he would stick to for seasons to come. He massaged the silhouette of the jacket into something boxier that hits right at the hip, with subtle definition in the shoulder. As for the skirt, waistlines dropped and, in some cases, slits crept up the thigh. Most of the hemlines fell to the knee. Most importantly, materials relaxed so that the garments slouched a bit on the model's frame, adding a loucheness to an otherwise stuffy connotation.
The next season, Blazy kept us intrigued via styling, pairing a metallic knit version of the skirt suit with a sequined "I Heart NY" T-shirt, layering others with turtlenecks and tall boots. For couture, he showed us see-through silk renditions and an incredible bridal version—but that's a conversation for another story. For Fall 2026, presented just last week, he glammed up those relaxed shapes with floral embellishments and rainbow chainmail. He evolved the coordinating jackets into bomber styles and overshirts, layering them over contrasting shirts left untucked. It was the first time I had ever thought of skirt suits as cool—and it seems I'm not alone in my opinion.
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"When I think of skirt suits, I still tend to imagine something quite structured and a bit rigid," says stylist and consultant Alexis Badiyi. "What felt exciting about this collection was how Matthieu Blazy softened and modernized the silhouette in a way that felt fresh, playful, and relaxed. The styling really stood out to me. Untucked blouses over exaggerated drop waists, transparent fabrics layered with textured tweeds threaded with iridescence, and pops of beaded and metallic accessories. It gave the skirt suit a sense of fluidity rather than formality. It feels like a meaningful departure from the drier skirt suits many of us associate with the category, and I'm curious to see how it shifts the waist and hemline in seasons to come."
For others, it changed their view on skirts entirely: "I barely wear skirts now, because the majority are long and voluminous, which doesn't fit with my more tailored aesthetic," says Jennifer Alfano, jewelry designer and author of the Substack The Flair Index. "But when I saw that first skirt suit from Chanel, I instantly wanted one. The cropped jacket and the slouchy wrap skirt have the ease of a button-down and pants. I would wear it for the day, paired with ballet flats or loafers, and love that you could separate the pieces—maybe the skirt with a favorite tee and the jacket with jeans. Nothing fussy, nothing restrictive. Now, if I could only afford one!" (Fair warning: a jacket alone can retail for upwards of $10,000.)
And it goes beyond the surface, too. "What's interesting to me about Matthieu's skirt suits at Chanel is that they don't feel nostalgic," says stylist, editor, and founder of Beverly's Shop Beverly Nguyen. "He clearly respects the codes that Coco Chanel established, but he's loosened them in a way that reflects how women want to move and live today. The result feels confident and effortless rather than formal. It reminds you that the skirt suit was always meant to be empowering. It's the embodiment of a suit I would wear anywhere in the world and feel like myself, and not as if the suit is wearing me." And she makes another important point: "The deliberate choice in effortless hair and makeup showcases that he understands women in the world today!" These aren't just ladies who lunch anymore.
It's undeniable: the industry's perception of the skirt suit has certainly shifted—it's not just me. And now there are options for every kind of style. A season after Blazy's debut, I started noticing them everywhere—though there's certainly a question of correlation or causation here. Hermès put out snug leather ones, Celine's went classic black and slim, Proenza Schouler elongated the line of the skirt with a cropped jacket, as did Tom Ford's sharper versions. Dior's went surrealist, and Gucci's were shrunken. Almost every designer adds some form of suiting to their collections—tailoring is part of any modern closet—but the coordinating skirts have rejoined the ranks of trousers.
Until I can afford the pre-styled Chanel version, I'm still thinking about how best to wear one. I can't stop picturing undone shirting and T-shirts mixed with sleek and slouchy coordinating separates. Perhaps with a sock and a loafer? Or a tall, flat boot? The desire is tangible. And that's a big shift from the dusty corner of my brain in which skirt suits were previously relegated.
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