Nicole Kidman, Zendaya and hovering cars mark high note as Paris Fashion Week ends

Paris Fashion Week ended on a high note with Chanel presenting a collection inspired by freedom and movement, while Louis Vuitton brought futuristic car sculptures to the Louvre.

Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy showed his spring-summer 2027 collection Monday night at the Grand Palais, where illuminated birds hung above the runway. Actors Nicole Kidman and Pedro Pascal and singer Dua Lipa were among the celebrities in the front row.

Blazy built much of the collection around a new "smocked tweed" that stretches like sportswear. The idea reflects Chanel's long history of making women's clothing easier to move in.

Blazy joined Chanel from Bottega Veneta and succeeded Virginie Viard, who took over after Karl Lagerfeld's death in 2019. Viard's period brought record sales, while Blazy has focused on adding surprise to the brand's traditional style.

Rather than replacing Chanel's familiar designs, Blazy has loosened them. Tweed became more flexible, jackets were worn over bare skin, and quilted handbags had a softer shape.

The collection also explored Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's own journey, from the restrictive clothing of her youth to the men's garments she adopted and the comfortable suits she introduced after World War II.

"It's about the women within a woman," Blazy said.

Kidman attended with her daughter, Faith Margaret, and provided recorded readings from Virginia Woolf's "Orlando." The novel's central character lives through different centuries and changes sex. Kidman won an Oscar for playing Woolf in "The Hours."

The show included music from a-ha's "Take On Me" and ended with Britney Spears' "Gimme More."

Chanel's mix of past and present

Edwardian influences appeared in boning, peplums and ruffled collars, while men's formal clothing was transformed into raw-edged vests and slim skirt suits.

Some standout pieces included layered printed-silk dresses inspired by the changing sky and 1930s-style sequined and beaded gowns designed to feel as comfortable as T-shirts.

However, some pattern-heavy looks and ballet tutus appeared overly theatrical, while the 83-look collection sometimes felt too long.

Birds appeared throughout the show, including on buttons and jewellery. A birdcage-shaped evening bag was shown with its birds already gone.

Model Dyanira Hurbuscher opened and closed the show, carrying Chanel's original 2.55 handbag from the brand's archives, symbolising the connection between freedom and the house's history.

Vuitton looks to the future

Louis Vuitton closed Paris Fashion Week Tuesday evening at the Louvre, with Zendaya among the guests and futuristic car sculptures suspended above the runway.

Designer Nicolas Ghesquière, known for structured and futuristic designs, presented a softer collection featuring loose shift dresses, cardigans, short jackets and relaxed tailoring.

Light fabrics moved freely as models walked, while slim trousers included sheer mesh panels.

Ghesquière maintained his interest in science fiction. An asphalt runway crossed the Louvre's Cour Carrée, surrounded by wedge-shaped concept cars raised on poles and covered with Louis Vuitton's Damier checkerboard pattern.

Zendaya, a Louis Vuitton ambassador, wore jeans with a white ruffled lace jacket she had previously worn to the Paris premiere of "The Odyssey." Emma Stone, Saoirse Ronan, Blackpink's Lisa, Sophie Turner and Catherine Deneuve also attended.

Designers embrace comfort

Other designers across Paris also mixed formal clothing with sportswear, brought lingerie into everyday fashion and used elaborate decorations in lighter ways.

At Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada combined pleated check skirts and blazers with running shorts and track tops. Shoelaces were used as belts, while guests sat on gym-style bleachers. Olivia Colman appeared on the runway in a black leather skirt suit alongside Jamie Bell and Emma Corrin.

Sacai designer Chitose Abe returned to the women's runway after a season away. She combined biker leather with swinging fringe, military jackets with silk tassels and jewelled prints beneath sheer layers. She ended the show by running to embrace Pharrell Williams.

At Valentino, Alessandro Michele presented satin bustiers and knee-length skirts at the Sainte-Geneviève Library. He compared unworn clothes with unread books, saying both "still speak to us of the lives we could have lived."

Elie Saab drew inspiration from the early 2000s with beaded slips and lace bralettes. Halle Berry famously wore one of his gowns when she won her Oscar. Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton attended the show.

Victoria Beckham presented pleated dresses suspended from jewellery chains, lightweight-looking taffeta raincoats and wedge sandals with hollowed-out heels.

Like Blazy's stretch tweed at Chanel, many of the collections shared a common goal: making sophisticated and elaborate clothing feel comfortable and easy to wear.