Real Women, But Make it Chanel: Mel Ottenberg on Matthieu Blazy’s Epic Debut

All photos courtesy of Chanel.

MONDAY 8:40 PM OCTOBER 6 2025 PARIS 

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MEL OTTENBERG: Maya, which Chanel woman are you today?

MAYA RUDOLPH: You mean from the show or in life?

OTTENBERG: From the show.

RUDOLPH: Oh, I’m the beaded red all the way.

OTTENBERG: Wait, the beaded red suit?

RUDOLPH: Yeah, that first beaded red look that came slinking down that runway. I’m her. Give it to me!

REBECCA GRICE: Give it to me, baby.

OTTENBERG: Rebecca Grice!

REBECCA GRICE: Yes?

OTTENBERG: You told me what I we’re all thinking. This is how women—

GRICE: Dress.

RUDOLPH: Yes, baby.

GRICE: This is how women dress.

RUDOLPH: How about all the movement that just came down the runway?

OTTENBERG: My whole life I thought Chanel was cool, not like the way a woman dresses but like, so fancy.

GRICE: But this is for women.

OTTENBERG: Yeah. Thank you, women.

OTTENBERG: Lauren Santo Domingo!

LAUREN SANTO DOMINGO: Hi!

OTTENBERG: Which modern Chanel woman are you today?

DOMINGO: So I was early Chanel.

OTTENBERG: Okay, you were the first part of the show.

DOMINGO: And then I saw my past, my present, and my future. And then the end, well, I’ll be buried in the open weave skirt-suits.

OTTENBERG: They were so cool.

DOMINGO: Yeah, and also the knit with the camellia trim, I could get into that.

OTTENBERG: The black dress that was flying with the hem.

DOMINGO: Yeah, all of the hem.

OTTENBERG: Okay, so you want to be buried in one of those two suits, the sheer suits. I like that for you.

DOMINGO: I just feel like that’s my future. 

OTTENBERG: Derek, do you have anything to add?

DEREK BLASBERG: I could never out-quote Lauren Santo Domingo. She just said she’s going to be buried in the stuff?

OTTENBERG: Yeah.

BLASBERG: What am I going to say? Find someone who can out-quote Lauren, I dare you.

OTTENBERG: I’m with my friend Duffy, who did the hair in the fucking Chanel show. What was the idea, dude?

DUFFY: I’m actually really losing my voice. But it’s Matt’s family, his individual characters. It’s people who inspire him, it’s girls he finds from every walk of life. There were a couple of little plays on masculinity, a couple of plays on the ’30s. But everything was a modern take on their characters, the best version of themselves.

OTTENBERG: How are you, baby? Good to see you.

MARIACARLA BOSCONO: I was very sick the last time I saw you.

OTTENBERG: Oh, well you looked great.

BOSCONO: Thank you.

OTTENBERG: When was the first time you walked the Chanel show?

BOSCONO: I think 2001.

OTTENBERG: Okay.

BOSCONO: And then I actually did Chanel couture and then the Grand Palais had a full feature of me.

OTTENBERG: Oh, wow. Was there anything in particular from today that you were like, “That’s so cool”?

BOSCONO: I mean, how can you not love the broken bag.

OTTENBERG: I missed the broken bag.

BOSCONO: Excusez-moi?

OTTENBERG: I missed it, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

BOSCONO: It’s like a broken Chanel bag.

OTTENBERG: Oh, wow, fun. I was so lost in the suits that I didn’t even see the bag.

BOSCONO: No, I love all the eco suits with pearls.

OTTENBERG: I love it too.

BOSCONO: I love the material meeting Chanel. That was like the peak of the day.

OTTENBERG: Yeah.

BOSCONO: The peak of the month!

OTTENBERG: Yeah, the peak of the month, for sure. Thank you, Mariacarla.

BOSCONO: Amour.

OTTENBERG: All right, that was Mariacarla Boscono. Let’s see who’s around. Lots of fierce, evil bitches. But none of my girlies. Okay, wait. Law’s over here, Law’s talking to some man. Will you give me a quote about the show?

LAW ROACH: I thought the show was modern and elegant. Those are the two words that best describe it for me.

OTTENBERG: Yeah.

ROACH: And cool.

OTTENBERG: It’s fucking cool. She’s cool. And those suits?

ROACH: I’m going to buy those suits.

OTTENBERG: Yeah, you are. Which one?

ROACH: The first one, the one that opened the show.

OTTENBERG: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s good for you.

OTTENBERG: What did you think of the show?

STYLENOTCOM: It was very modern. Young girls finally can go back to the Chanel store. 

OTTENBERG: But also she’s not too young. She’s like middle aged, which is me. 

ROACH: It’s sophisticated. She’s the new 50-year old.

STYLENOTCOMI: Exactly. 

OTTENBERG: Also, I want to say that most people are ripping off Phoebe Philo 2014 to feel modern. Not Blazy. He’s got it together. It looks like real women, but in the Chanel fantasy.

STYLENOTCOM: What was your favorite part?

ROACH: The woman who closed the show and walking and smiling and laughing and clapping. That was amazing. And I love the nod to Coco and the ‘20s. That was really smart and beautiful that he paid homage to her. The thing about it is, we see something and we see the reference from the houses that these people came from, and I think they’ve worked their whole entire life to get to where they are now and should be able to bring a little piece of that with them.

STYLENOTCOM: Yeah, the journey. Because we saw those headpieces straight from the Bottega show. 

ROACH: The big skirt was very Matthieu. He brought that to Chanel.

OTTENBERG: Well, he also did Margiela, Dior—Pieter, how are you? Good to see you. 

PIETER MULIER: I always forget how big it is. What the fuck?

OTTENBERG: The Grand Palais has never looked this big to me. It’s incredible. Pieter, can I ask you for a quote about the show?

MULIER: We’re very proud. And it’s very mature.

OTTENBERG: It’s about his journey, you know?

MULIER: My favorite thing is the knitwear.

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