Raised runways, supermodels striding down the catwalk, “flashbulbs going off” like crazy. Like a dream coming straight from the glorious depths of the ’80s, Virginie Viard’s latest collection for CHANEL is a tribute to a flamboyant era full of energy and playfulness. CHANEL’s creative director reminisces about what is widely considered as a simpler period of fashion, when everything was about the feeling of the moment. A gleaming moment in time, captured only by a camera, that “magical object and sexy gesture which evokes so many memories” as Virginie herself put it.

The show began with classic one-piece swimsuits and CHANEL-branded underwear as outerwear, channeling some of Karl Lagerfeld’s most iconic silhouettes from his ’80s collections. Long maxi skirts, baby tank tops and patent leather co-ords follow, representing a more wearable inspiration, along with patchwork denims, boxy blazer-like dresses, glossy jackets, and colorful tweeds. Technicolor elements, heart-shaped or CHANEL No5-shaped bags and sequined dresses set the collection’s retrospective tone but always through a contemporary prism. Notice the photographers’ prominent role, both practical and conceptual, during the show: by crowding the runway they evoke the industry’s most bustling and -perhaps naively- joyous years. The lights, the attention, the buzz, all the things which make fashion worth admiring.

From the knitted mini shorts with the gold chains all around, to the airy skirts and dresses with the butterfly prints, this collection reflects the whimsical side of style as well as the transformative powers of fashion. Nostalgia and creativity are always the best tools to explore fashion with.