Chanel marks 110 years with style — and stars — by supersizing its couture salon in a palace

PARIS (AP) — Only Chanel would call its legendary Rue Cambon salon “too small” — then rebuild it, supersized, in a palace.

On Tuesday, as the house marked 110 years of its haute couture — a century and more of Coco Chanel’s revolution in how women dress — it blew up its atelier as a giant set inside the freshly restored Grand Palais, turning intimacy into spectacle for a nature-drenched show at Paris Couture Week.

Chanel, whose founder banished corsets and reimagined luxury as liberation, showed just how far that legacy stretches — from the tiny salons of 1915 to its modern colossus.

It was a flex only a handful of luxury giants could pull off — and perhaps, as one front-row guest suggested, a dazzling distraction as the fashion world counts down to the debut of Chanel's new designer Matthieu Blazy.

Penélope Cruz, Keira Knightley, Naomi Campbell, Kirsten Dunst and the house’s tightest VIP circle scaled gilded steps, sweating past marble and gold, to enter the reconstructed atelier. The set by Willo Perron was classic Chanel — intimate yet monumental, Old World yet futuristic.

“It just felt special,” Campbell said, “like stepping into a memory and something completely new. There’s warmth, intimacy, nostalgia. Chanel can recreate anything, and it works."

More drama unfolded on the runway. This was couture as nature fantasy, filtered through the Chanel prism. Menswear tailoring added swing to sculpted jackets and coatdresses, while mohair suits in deep greens and plums channeled autumn’s hush. Bouclé tweeds mimicked sheepskin; feathers and tweed created illusionary faux fur.

Gold-sprayed wheat ears — the house symbol of abundance — were everywhere: stitched into flounces, embroidered on necklines, set on every guest’s seat. The theme may have been country, but make no mistake: This was as close as Chanel gets to “roughing it.”

Technique dazzled at every turn: jewel-buttons, embroidered florals and a finale of lamé so luminous it mimicked sunlight on harvest fields. The studio team, holding the fort after Virginie Viard’s abrupt and unceremonious exit last year, anchored the show in classic codes but played with wit and lightness.

That obsessive handwork matters — not just for tradition, but for business. Chanel is fashion’s juggernaut: Privately held, the brand reported $18.7 billion in revenue for 2024, cementing its status as one of the world’s most powerful luxury houses. Couture may be the crown, but its influence drives global sales in fragrance, bags and jewelry, making it the envy of rivals.

Change is always looming at Chanel. For more than 30 years, Karl Lagerfeld transformed the brand from Parisian legend to pop phenomenon, staging ever-grander spectacles at the Grand Palais. After his death in 2019, Viard, his longtime deputy, guided Chanel into a softer, more discreet era.

Now the industry is holding its breath for Blazy, a Belgian talent with stints at Margiela, Celine and most recently Bottega Veneta, where he won fans for his blend of innovation and reverence for craft.

Campbell said of Blazy, whom she knows personally: “He’s focused, open-minded — he’ll bring something special.”

Tuesday’s show unfolded inside the Grand Palais' newly restored Salon d’Honneur, its gold and stone revealed after a 600-million-euro, multiyear restoration co-funded by Chanel. It’s more than a venue; it’s an advertisement of the house’s power and commitment to Parisian heritage.

Models wear creations as part of the Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection presented Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nicholson)

Models wear creations as part of the Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection presented Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nicholson)

Models wear creations as part of the Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection presented Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nicholson)

Models wear creations as part of the Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection presented Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nicholson)

Models wear creations as part of the Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection presented Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nicholson)

A model wears a creation as part of the Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26 Haute Couture collection presented Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nicholson)

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left, and Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.

The 10th-ranked Hurricanes (13-2) had their vaunted defense picked apart by the sixth-ranked Rebels (13-2) in a wild fourth quarter, falling into a 27-24 hole after Trinidad Chambliss threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae'Quan Wright with 3:13 left.

Beck, who won a national title as a backup at Georgia, kept the Hurricanes calm amid the storm, leading them down the field for the winning score — and a shot at a national title on their home field at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. Beck is 37-5 as a starter, including two seasons at Georgia.

The sixth-seeded Rebels lost their coach before the playoff, but not their cool.

If anything, Lane Kiffin’s decision to bolt for LSU seemed to harden Ole Miss’ resolve, pushing the Rebels to the best season in school history — and within a game of their first national championship game.

Ole Miss kept Miami within reach when its offense labored and took a 19-17 lead on Lucas Carneiro’s fourth field goal, from 21 yards.

Malachi Toney, the hero of Miami’s opening CFP win over Texas A&M, turned a screen pass into a 36-yard touchdown that put Miami up 24-19.

Chambliss' TD pass to Wright put the Rebels back on top, but improbable run came to an end when the defense couldn't hold the Hurricanes.

But what a run it was.

With Pete Golding calling the shots after being promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach, and most of the assistants sticking around, the Rebels blew out Tulane to open the playoff and took down mighty Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals.

They faced a different kind of storm in the Hurricanes.

Miami has rekindled memories of its 2001 national championship team behind a defense that went from porous to nearly impenetrable in its first season under coordinator Corey Hetherman.

The Hurricanes walled up early in the Fiesta Bowl, holding Ole Miss to minus-1 yard.

One play revved up the Rebels and their rowdy fans.

Kewan Lacy, the nation’s third-leading rusher, burst through a hole up the middle for a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter — the longest run allowed by Miami’s defense since 2018.

The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal.

Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.

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Miami quarterback Carson Beck, right, prepares to hand off to running back Mark Fletcher Jr. during the first half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Mississippi head coach Pete Golding runs on the field at halftime during the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)