Matthew Blasi turns an abandoned New York subway station into a stage for a Chanel show.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - American actress Kristen Stewart was sitting inside a New York City subway car on Tuesday afternoon, overcome with strong emotions, not because of the usual stress of a subway ride - crowding, jostling and delays - but because of the latest Chanel show. “If this show reflects what we want and how we feel today, I find it very encouraging.”

The train was not actually running, but at the abandoned Bowery station in midtown Manhattan, a platform usually rented for film shoots and shoots, which on this occasion served as the stark backdrop (with a fresh coat of paint) for the Chanel Métiers d’art show. Spending more than an hour underground on a city metro has rarely seemed so luxurious.

Since being chosen as Chanel's ambassador in 2013, Stewart has worn the works of the three designers who succeeded the house after Coco Chanel, and she found in the house's "New York" show a kind of realism in the mix between the show's looks, as it combined informal pieces with very sophisticated ones, with jackets carried over the arms and newspapers stuffed inside the bags in a rare display. Matthew Blasi, Chanel's new creative director, has received raves, both from stars who have worn his designs such as Stewart, Ayo Edbury and Teyana Taylor, and from editors and influencers who were raving about his first show in October during Paris Fashion Week.

Despite the heavy rain and the harsh cold of the metro air, the atmosphere was fun and full of enthusiasm and positive energy between Stewart and Chanel regulars, such as Tilda Swinton and Rose Byrne, in addition to American rapper and entrepreneur A$AP Rocky and Margaret Qualley, who participated in a short film directed by Michel Gondry for the house before the show. "Chanel" confirms that the choice is linked to the frequent visits to the city of the house's founder, Coco Chanel, but it is also important to note that the American market is full of affluent customers who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their favorite brands, and international houses are constantly seeking to attract them in order to enhance their sales.

However, many of them, in their Chanel ballerinas, tweed jackets, and huge pearl bags, seemed hesitant at the idea of ​​taking public transportation, even if it was just fancy decor. The lifestyle of wearing Chanel from head to toe is usually accompanied by a private chauffeur!

One woman, wearing a white feathered pantsuit under a gold leather trench coat, stood in front of the turnstile, feeling cautiously, unsure whether to push or pull! Because the Chanel Métiers d’arts collection is presented annually in December, and in luxurious cities such as Japan, Senegal and formerly Scotland, to highlight the production of artisanal workshops such as the milliner Maison Michel, the shoemaker Massaro, and the embroidery workers of Maison Lesage, which Chanel acquired to ensure the continuity of its unique craftsmanship despite the possibility of its disappearance.

In these shows, the display of exceptional craftsmanship is what drives the design and gives it soul more than at any other time. Matthew Blasi found the train experience easy and enjoyable.

A subway car pulled into the station and models emerged in whimsical hats, light tweed suits over T-shirts, and lively but not tight crochet dresses, and began strolling down the platform. As the show continued, the models appeared to express the boredom typical of New York, and some of them moved past others with quick steps that reflected the rhythm of the city, defying the usual protocol in fashion shows.

It may seem crazy for a house like Chanel, where jackets easily sell for thousands of dollars, but Blazy's show was a clear statement that he seeks to design clothes for "real life," a concept that is far removed from the world of perfumes and luxury fashion bags, no matter how much the big fashion houses refuse to acknowledge it, where most designers are more focused on their creative vision or their profits than thinking about how women really live and what they feel. This collection looked amazingly light yet designed with the utmost care.

Flapper dresses and feather skirts are rare contemporary pieces that move with the verve of what Coco Chanel and her rival Jean Patou intended in the 1920s, when movement and light were truly exciting elements. We may be past the point where what a designer shows on the runway can affect what a woman will find in a regular store, especially with the proliferation of stores like Zara or Shein.

But it would be great if Chanel and Blazy could spread the idea that a woman can suffer from carrying her things all day, busy between work, friends, and love, and still find time for herself to shine in a special dress, jacket, or cherished bag that puts a smile on her face.