The Chanel Spring/Summer 2021 collection is an ode to the cinematic world of Hollywood.

The Hollywood hills came to Paris as Chanel set its name in lights for its Spring/Summer 2021 collection. To accompany the runway show, Chanel enlisted Dutch photography duo Inez and Vinoodh to create a unique cinematic experience.

The surrealist black-and-white teaser film opened on the iconic Hollywood sign in Santa Barbara, reconfigured as a giant C-H- A-N-E-L, then skimmed across the Hollywood grounds with a magical mash-up of cult Nouvelle Vague films&mdash;including Jacque Deray&rsquo;s Swmming Pool and Pierret Le Fou by Jean-Luc Godard.

And before you knew it, the camera zoomed up and it turned out we&rsquo;ve all been in Grand Palais the entire time with the same giant Chanel sign sitting front and centre on the runway.

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But creative director Virginie Viard is thinking more about the actress, less the movies. &ldquo;This collection is a tribute to the muses of the House. Some of them are far away, it&rsquo;s been a long time since we saw them. Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld dressed so many actresses in films and in real life. I was thinking about them who make us dream so much,&rdquo; she explains in the show notes.

The House of Chanel of course has had a century-old relationship with actresses with the likes of Romy Schneider, Anna Karina and Jeanne Moreau&mdash;three grand dames of cinema who also appeared in the show teaser video &mdash; both on and off-screen. At the recently opened exhibition Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto, Chanel also integrated a number of garments worn in private life and on-screen by some of the most iconic actresses of 20th century such as Grace Kelly and Delphine Seyrig.

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For Spring/Summer 2021, Viard narrowed her focus to conjure an actress&rsquo; air, &ldquo;I was thinking about actresses at the photocall, on the red carpet, that moment when they&rsquo;re being called to by the photographers: their faces a little distracted, their attitude a little out of sync with the outfits they&rsquo;re wearing. And then there are the fans waiting for them behind the barriers, this very lively side to cinema that happens beyond cinema, that&rsquo;s what I like.&rdquo;

Though the inspiration was old Hollywood glam, the clothes were not a vintage grabfest. Rather, this was a wardrobe for modern-day Chanel starlets. There was a nonchalant mix of logo-heavy daywear with an Eighties twist: big&nbsp;soft shoulders, fluttery dresses, and split and mini-skirts in the House&rsquo;s signature tweed.

Youthfulness is injected by&nbsp;way of pink Bermuda short suits with pedal pushers; graphic neon T-shirt with Chanel spelled out in rhinestones; micro flap bag hung like pendants on chain belts and necklaces, and a Chanel-branded quilted phone holder worn around the neck.

For after dark, there were several award show-ready dresses and a trio of finale gowns in logo monogram&mdash;all in relaxed silhouettes which allow the actresses to move easily from red carpet to after-party. It won&rsquo;t be long before we see modern Chanel&nbsp;muses like Marion Cotillard, Kristen Stewart and Blackpink&rsquo;s Jeannie in all these pieces.

Visit <a href="https://www.chanel.com/my/fashion/collection/spring-summer-2021/">chanel.com</a> to find out more.

It's "Lights, Camera, Action" at Chanel Spring/Summer 2021

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