Virginie Viard and Chanel are officially parting ways.
According to Vogue Business, Viard is leaving Chanel after 30 years at the brand.
The designer’s tenure at the house includes the last five years as its artistic director, following Karl Lagerfeld’s death in February 2019. She was notably the house’s third creative director after Lagerfeld and Chanel herself.
A new creative organization will be “announced in due course” according to Chanel.
We look back at some of her signature styles from modern bows to edgier tweed.
- 80’s silhouettes
Virginie was influenced by the 1980’s as evidenced by her use of silhouettes and colors from that era in chanel’s runway collections. At the Mètiers d’art 2024 shown in manchester, such silhouettes and patterns were common on the runway.
2. Shots over skirts
Viard demonstrated a more casual feel to luxury and often included a pair of shorts or two in her collections. for the recent Chanel Cruise 2025 collection, she presented knitted short shorts in neutrals and summery shades of blue—a playful choice in line with quiet luxury trends.
3. Edgier tweed
Her Cruise 2024 collection featured tailored jumpsuits in neutral checkered tweed, juxtaposed with bolder tweed patterns on the pockets, collars and shoulder patches.
4. Long bodices
Throughout Viard’s five years as creative director, she repeatedly designed garments with a longer torso in a nod to style trends in the 1920s and 1980s.
Viard experimented with the dress and trousers combination at the Métiers d’art 2023 collection at Dakar, emphasising the length of the ensembles with long necklaces and earrings.
5. Modern bows
Bows were a huge fashion trend in 2023, thanks to the rise of coquette and balletcore trends, but the motif has always been in line with Chanel’s design codes that include pearls, beads and chains.
