PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANEL
For Chanel’s #CHANELFallWinter collection, embossed leather does the work of exotic skin without losing an ounce of richness. The scaled, dimensional treatment spans several shapes. Think a structured classic handbag, rounded bowling-style clutch-on-chain, the maxi flap and shopping bag. Altogether, they prove the effect is versatile enough to anchor an entire seasonal story.
Firstly, an iridescent classic top-handle handbag leads with the most romantic interpretation in a cool, almost frosted hue. Chanel rarely lets texture stand alone, and here, sculptural floral hardware softens the croc-embossed leather’s natural toughness. Meanwhile, the pale, elongated clutch-on-chain takes the opposite approach. No embellishment competes for attention, just the embossed texture and a clean, quiet silhouette.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANEL
Then the olive-green maxi flap echoes one of the house’s most recognisable shapes. This time, though, it is rendered in croc-embossed leather that adds gravity to a familiar form.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANEL
Lastly, there’s the red shopping bag, equal parts bold, boxy and unapologetically graphic. Sharp lines meet a saturated hue, with the embossed treatment making the texture itself the focal point.
What ties the four together is continuity across the seasons. The maxi flap has been a consistent part of Matthieu Blazy’s vision for Chanel. The shopping bag and clutch-on-chain, too, appeared at spring-summer 2026 and Métiers d’Art. For fall-winter 2026, however, Chanel introduces them in new croc-illusion leather colours, ensuring they remain a throughline in its bag lineup. It’s continuity dressing up as reinvention, the kind of detail that rewards a longtime Chanel watcher.
