Chanel Turned This Festival Favourite Into A Couture Accessory

With music festivals canceled as a result of the pandemic, the need for festival fashion — which most notably (and sometimes controversially) includes flower crowns — has diminished entirely. But, according to Chanel’s spring ‘21 haute couture show, that took place on Tuesday, festival season’s go-to headpieces are back. For the runway show — inspired by "dance, freedom, and summer evening parties," according to the show notes — creative director Virginie Viard sent out models wearing flower headpieces.

Among pastel waistcoats, voluminous skirts, and, as we’ve come to expect from couture shows, a stunning wedding gown (worn by a model on horseback, no less), were more unexpected (for Chanel, at least) accessories: ‘00s-esque belly chains and festival-ready flower crowns. It’s almost as if friends of Chanel and Glastonbury regulars Keira Knightley and Kate Moss were in cahoots with Viard to ensure festival accessories weren’t put to waste just because events have been cancelled. 

Whereas we previously connected flower crowns to cut-offs, rain boots, and lace bra tops (cringe), after seeing them paired with tweed and tulle, and displayed against a garden-like backdrop at the Grand Palais, our former aversion to the DIY accessory has vanished. In its place, we’re feeling a pull to set up shop at our lockdown-induced craft tables for a day spent hot gluing flowers and pearls onto intertwining twigs. 

The rest of the collection was equally dreamy and ethereal, with a warm colour palette of light pink, green, and yellow appearing throughout on tweed skirt and pant suits, ruffled boleros, and high-low eyelet dresses. For footwear, models switched off between two-tone, black-and-white Mary-Jane flats and quilted wedges in the same colour. "I'm always thinking about what women would like to have in their wardrobe today," Viard said in the show notes about the new collection.

While belly chains and flower crowns may appear unusual for the French luxury brand, it should be noted that Lily-Rose Depp wore a chain belt with “CHANEL” on it in tiny, gold letters at Chanel's runway show in October. Call it a coincidence, but since then, other brands have embraced the trend, with Bagatiba, Loren Stewart, and more jewellery favourites all selling their own iterations of the body jewellery. Maybe now this will extend to flower crowns, too.