For Cruise 2025/26, CHANEL invites us to lean into leisure — specifically, the kind that comes bathed in the golden Italian light of Lake Como.

Set against the impossibly cinematic backdrop of Villa d’Este, the House's latest collection reimagined hotel life as more than just an experience, but an aesthetic in itself. Think: languid afternoons by the water, champagne at dusk, and that very specific kind of dressing that says you’ve arrived without ever trying too hard. Or, as the show notes put it, "the joy of getting dressed up to be noticed."

The CHANEL Creation Studio captured this mood through a palette of light, bright looks. Taffeta ballgowns, cut into playful mini dresses, floated down the runway in gelato shades—blush pink, sky blue, soft apricot—each one a nod to the lake’s light and the villa’s grandeur.

Naturally, one of the greatest joys of dressing up for a night out is ending the evening on the dance floor. Here, dance informed several of the styles. Think: trouser suits crafted from lightweight tweed and swathed in multicoloured sequins that caught the light with every rhythmic step. Elsewhere, metallic lurex fell to the floor like liquid gold, in both a gown and backless jumpsuit (worn under a matching sweeping cape), adding a touch of dance floor movement to the collection.

Even the more demure pieces came alive with cinematic glamour—an ivory blouse with voluminous sleeves and beaded braids, paired with flowing white taffeta trousers, felt as though it had wandered straight off the set of a Luchino Visconti film. (A fitting reference, given his close friendship with Gabrielle Chanel and his deep ties to Lake Como.) There was romance, too, in the botanical motifs borrowed from the Villa d’Este’s gardens—wisteria, camellia, oleander—reimagined in lace and chiffon appliqué. A black skirt suit was trimmed in beaded florals, while a flared white suit, cropped and sharp, bloomed with the soft detail of hand-worked embroidery.

Cruise signatures made their inevitable appearance, but always with a twist: sailor stripes reimagined in knitwear, pea coats dipped in strawberry sorbet, and crisp white trousers dripping with sun-soaked nonchalance. Combined, they gave way to a collection not about a destination, but a feeling—the glow of a golden hour, the clink of glass, the sway of silk. The kind of holiday luxury that asks nothing of you but to enjoy it.