Jewelry Is Having a Moment on the Chanel Runway, and We Can't Look Away

Chanel's creative director Virginie Viard threw us for a loop when she presented the fashion house's Fall 2020 collection at Paris Fashion Week. There was no bag of the moment or incredible shoe, and there was no Chanel bride to gush about. This runway story was all about the jewels.

Paying homage to Anna Wintour's first American Vogue cover in 1988, the accessories carried a strong resemblance to the embellished Christian Lacroix Couture cross that model Michaela Bercu wore. But they also conjured images of Karl Lagerfeld's 1994 show, where extremely thick belts, beads, chains, and long, elaborate necklaces were debuted over the iconic skirt suits. You'll see here that these details were worked onto cross bracelets, and multiple items were finished with pearls, including one small quilted waist bag worn across the chest, its pearl chain even more striking than the pouch itself.

There was a standout velvet clutch, peppered with double C brooches, along with a big, tough patent-leather weekender duffle, carried at the hip the "Bottega" way. The boots came with fold-over brown flaps and a rounded toe, which is a new shape when you consider the recent popularity of the square toe. But other than that, the clear focus was on the bling here, and that isn't hard to see. Keep reading to zoom in on the good stuff, and start tallying up that wish list.