Chanel Goes On Pointe With The Paris Opera

Chanel pirouettes into the world of dance with a graceful flair and enchanting poetry at the opening gala of the Paris Opera’s 2025/2026 dance season.

Celebrating the body and artistry, dance and fashion have always ebbed and flowed with each other—a dialogue between movement and material, and between the ephemeral and the tangible. This mutual fascination has produced some of the most iconic collaborations in cultural history, each pushing the other toward new possibilities of expression. For Chanel, this relationship wasn’t merely aesthetic—it was foundational. The house’s commitment to dance traces directly back to Gabrielle Chanel herself, who understood intuitively that fashion must serve movement, not constrain it.

All you need to know about Chanel’s relationship with dance and the Paris Opera:

The longstanding bond between Chanel and dance dates back to the 1930s, when Gabrielle Chanel saw Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, choreographed by the dancer Nijinsky—a member of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Through her friendship with Misia Sert—the Polish-born pianist, socialite, and legendary muse to Paris’s artistic vanguard—Gabrielle Chanel was introduced to Sergei Diaghilev himself. What began as an introduction blossomed into a multifaceted relationship: Chanel became not only Diaghilev’s personal friend but also a costume designer for his company and, crucially, a financial supporter of his vision. When Diaghilev faced financial difficulties in reviving The Rite of Spring, a ballet that had captivated Chanel years earlier, she stepped forward as patron. Her support proved decisive, allowing this groundbreaking work to return to the stage in late 1920 and continue pushing the boundaries of what ballet could be. The fluid, precise, and narrative style of dance intrigued Chanel enough to initiate a new chapter for Gabrielle Chanel and the house itself in support of choreographic legacies.

With that, it was no surprise that Chanel supported the Opening Gala of the Paris Opera’s 2025/2026 dance season, which was held on 27 September at the Palais Garnier. This year, the Gala audience attended performances of Annabelle López Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose and the classic Giselle, followed by a dinner served in the Grand Foyer with artists as well as friends and ambassadors of the House.

At the storied Défilé du Ballet, the Junior Ballet made its second entrance onto the hallowed stage of the Palais Garnier—a moment where legacy met emerging talent. Dancing alongside the company’s Étoiles, who wore the tutus and tiaras Chanel created in 2021 with the legendary embroiderer Lesage, these rising dancers were dressed in bespoke costumes born from an intimate collaboration between the House and the Opera’s ateliers. Each piece was elevated by the exquisite craftsmanship of Lemarié, the revered feather-and-flower atelier.

The artistry is breathtaking in its detail: twelve tutus, each one hand-embellished with 300 meticulously placed pinches of ostrich feathers that catch and diffuse light with every movement. The corsets, too, bloom with featherwork, each finished with a hand-embossed white satin camellia—that eternal signature of Chanel—creating garments that exist somewhere between couture and poetry.

In championing this Gala, Chanel reaffirms a commitment that transcends mere patronage: a profound connection to the Paris Opera and an unwavering belief in nurturing the next generation of artists. It’s a philosophy that pulses through the House’s DNA, initiated by Gabrielle Chanel over a century ago and continuing with undiminished passion today. Together with the Opera, Chanel keeps alive that luminous conversation between fashion and dance—two art forms forever in dialogue, forever inspiring one another toward new heights of beauty and expression.