Chanel shows feathered ruffs, slit tweed skirts in fairy tale-inspired haute couture show

Chanel Creative Director Matthieu Blazy drew on the world of fairy tales for his second haute-couture collection for the Parisian fashion house, shown on Tuesday in Paris.

Green vines embroidered on a sheer skirt and jacket, white feathered wings on the back of a dress, and an outfit made of appliquéd embroidered swans were among the references to classic stories like Jack and the Beanstalk, which Blazy scattered throughout the show.

Front-row guests including actors Catherine Deneuve, Tilda Swinton, Alexa Demie, and Pedro Pascal fanned themselves as models paraded through a set filled with giant flowers, wearing hats resembling birds' nests and tweed skirts with dramatic slits.

"The inner life of storybooks is transferred to the clothes themselves; a vine might creep up the heel of a shoe, a small minaudière (small evening clutch) might appear as a sleeping bear, and a series of buttons might transform from duckling to swan," Blazy wrote in the show notes.

Blazy, whose designs have reignited interest in the storied Parisian label, continued his lavish use of embroidered flowers and feathers, with dresses featuring giant red and turquoise feather ruffs and hems. Jackets featured intricate beadwork at the neckline, a motif repeated on boat-neck dresses and sheer gowns.

-Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Sharon Singleton/Reuters