The Tamesis
“I’ve never seen you waiting in line, it’s crazy,” one friend said to another after returning from buying a bag of chocolates for food. At 1:23 pm on Friday the 13th, the temperature “felt” like 28 degrees outside the Chanel 57th Street boutique in New York City. Everyone is there for one reason: to experience—or at least see in real life—the latest pieces from Matthieu Blazy’s first Chanel Spring 2026 collection.
There’s been a bit of Mathieu mania in Chanel boutiques lately. The collection was officially launched in Paris stores on March 5 during Paris Fashion Week, triggering a retail frenzy similar to that seen in the heyday of sample sales. Editors, VIPs and VICs alike flocked to the brand’s stores across the city to buy new arrivals before they sold out, especially East-West bags and embossed crocodile pumps.
For the vast majority of New Yorkers who aren’t in Paris, Blazy’s debut collection landed exclusively at the Uptown flagship store this morning. I arrived at 1:03 p.m., three minutes after the store’s listed opening time, and the line was already at the end of the block. Some patrons in line understandably declined to chat for privacy reasons (one woman said her parents “would kill her”), but many were happy to talk about their renewed enthusiasm for the house.
“I’m not a big fan of Chanel, but [Matthieu] Barbara watched a video of Blazy’s debut online and said, “It changed the vibe of the brand, so for the first time there was a lot of stuff I would wear.” After texting with a salesperson in New Jersey, she was informed of today’s price drop and budgeted to spend about $15,000 because the shoes and bags she wanted were all in stock.
“I really like what Matthieu is doing at Bottega [Veneta] “So I was curious to see what he would do at Chanel,” said Jennifer, a 34-year-old accountant. She had been looking for mint green and black crocodile-print heels, also a standout piece for Parisian shoppers. While she explains that she enjoys casually reading fashion content from editors and bloggers, she doesn’t consider herself a runway diehard who follows all the big brand collections. She had her heart set on buying some great investment pieces that she could pass down to her. daughter, though it excites her to see others so enthusiastic about a series.
