Matthieu Blazy decided to have a little fun with Chanel this season.

We find ourselves in the woods, lost in our thoughts, letting old memories bleed in and out of reality. Sooner or later, thought and memory materialize in front of us, and through sartorial alchemy, we are given birds. Or rather, we are given the suggestion of birds, of feathers, of memory, and of the pastoral—the idea of these things.

Today marks the first Chanel Haute Couture show under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy. Even with the incredible pressure, Blazy delivered. Of course he did. One thing I love about Blazy’s work is that, while intellectual and technical, it is extremely approachable. You do not need a degree in philosophy or art history to appreciate it, but that does not mean what Blazy does is unsophisticated. It is like watching an Olympic gymnast or an opera singer. The great feat is that they make it look easy. Nothing about what Blazy does is easy, however.

Something I found fantastic was how the clothes reflected couture’s inherent absurdity without being insulting or demeaning. The collection focused on the idea of the clothes and what they represent, being far more important than the clothing itself. As the show went on, these suggestions became concrete, moving from outline to reality. We saw skirts, jeans, jackets, and bags so thin and delicate that you almost wondered if they were there at all. Then, like magic, we found ourselves surrounded by so much texture, color, and depth that it was hard to fathom where we had just been.

It was a collection made of dreams, like watching someone pluck thoughts from the air and make them material. Blazy made the suggestion tangible. For me, suggestion was the key theme of the collection. It was a presentation centered on suggestion in all its forms. The suggestion of inspiration, of clothing, of potential, of the couture client, of technical prowess, of house codes, and of history.

I think most importantly, it suggests something most of us already know, which is that haute couture is more about fantasy than reality. Couture is a chance to flex a creative muscle and show off a little, or a lot. It is highly conceptual, and there are only a handful of people on earth who actually purchase and participate in it.

So, Matthieu Blazy decided to have a little fun with it. And I would suggest you do the same.