To the tune of Sexy Boy by Air, the Chanel show began yesterday in Paris with a full crowd anticipatory of the Fall/Winter 2024 collection that followed. On a dark wooden floor, models walked in front of a massive screen that snaked around the room. Imagined by Inez and Vinood, it played a film inspired by Claude Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman (1966) featuring beachside scenes—from views of a pier meeting the ocean to sunset shots of models walking by the water. It was awash in gorgeous hues, matching the tone of garments on the runway.

At first glance, this seaside view was majestic and somewhat mysterious, but with a close eye, those loyal to Chanel could trace it back to the brand’s DNA. After all, it was a replica of the destination Deauville, a city part of the heartbeat of the maison. “Deauville is where everything started for the house, said Creative Director Virginie Viard. “1912, the creation of her hat shop, and then very quickly the first clothes with their visionary, radical style. It’s where it all began for Gabrielle Chanel.”