through the looking glass

The annual Metiers d’Art collection from Chanel has always been designed to make people dream.

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For one, every edition is inspired by a place with a romantic connection to brand founder Coco Chanel, with the collection usually unveiled there, no matter how far-flung the destination. Secondly, it’s meant to celebrate the savoir faire of the brand’s metiers d'art, or artisanal workshops, and is thus always rich in craftsmanship and inventiveness. The 2024/25 edition, which hits boutiques June 19, dials up the fantasy with the choice of setting for its presentation: Hangzhou, China — a location Mademoiselle Chanel had never stepped foot in, but had a deep affinity for. Noelle Loh zeroes in on the bags and how they carry a whole lot of magic.

Gabrielle Chanel never visited China in her lifetime, but she was constantly surrounded by its beauty. She was a fan of antique Chinese Coromandel screens, or lacquered folding screens, and was said to have amassed a collection of as many as 32 of them. Eight were displayed in her apartment on Rue Cambon in Paris, used to cover walls or help carve out more private spaces. The largest of these remains there and was the starting point of Chanel’s latest Metiers d’Art collection: Its elaborate engraving depicts Hangzhou’s West Lake - famed for its breathtaking scenery. This explains why the Unesco World Heritage site was chosen as the backdrop of the show, which took place at sundown early last December. Playfully evoking the evening’s sense of other-worldliness is the Pillow handbag: a cushion-y clutch in either soft satin or shiny lambskin, and delicately stitched to create its plush, oversize quilted texture. The pastel hue of the one featured here is meant to echo the colour of Hangzhou’s landscape at dusk.