Lucy Boynton on the magic of a simple Chanel twin-set
So what exactly does one wear to attend Chanel's pre-fall show in Hangzhou, China? According to Lucy Boynton, a classic Chanel two-piece, of course.
For Chanel's latest show last week, Boynton wore a look from the spring/summer 2025 collection—a green embroidered tweed jacket with matching trousers, accessorised with rings, a toi and moi ring, and earrings – all from the Coco Crush collection. It was a quick and simple process to pick out the look with her stylist Leith Clark, she explains. "I think it was one of two or three looks we tried, but I knew it was the one as soon as I saw it on the rail," she tells me. She was drawn to it because it was timeless but felt more unusual than the heritage Chanel tweed.
"It was a twist on the classic Chanel two-piece," she explained. "The tweed and delicate detailing feel classic, but I think the colours and the cut of the collar and trousers make it feel modern and youthful. I could live in it."
Being able to live in it was important for Boynton, whose job as an actress has made her realise just how much she values comfort in her own personal style. "The costuming process for my job has been so informative in determining my own style. The more comfortable you are in your clothes and therefore your body, the more confident and outward-facing you can be. You then naturally focus more on everything going on around you, and get to enjoy it more. So decoration and comfort are the buzzwords for my style... I think!"
Her look for the show was bold, but, she noted, "there’s a playful ease to it because you feel free and comfortable in it". She could sit in it front row and then go out and explore Hangzhou without feeling or looking out of place; it has that magic mix of practical but special.
One might argue that Boynton looks so good wearing Chanel because she has such a strong understanding of the brand. "I love the ethos of what Gabrielle Chanel wanted to design for women and why; she moved away from the cinched waist, which was so popular at the time, and designed the Chanel suit so that women could work and move and actually breathe, while not having to compromise on elegance," she explains. "I always feel really empowered when wearing Chanel. And the attention to detail on each piece is astonishing. I say it a lot, but it really is wearing art."
She admires how Chanel has always stayed true to its house codes while still appealing to all kinds of women. "I think Chanel has a clear identity but it also allows for experimentation and personalisation for the person wearing it. The collections always have an eclectic range of shapes and cuts, and each collection feels so different to the next. I love fashion for the opportunity for self-expression, experimentation, and decoration."
For Chanel's first show in China since 2009, Boynton was looking forward to seeing how the city would influence the collection. "I’m excited to see where the elements of this setting have been used as inspiration. I love the way Chanel use fabrics with contrasting weights to create movement and so, in this setting especially, being by the water and in the middle of nature, I’m imagining that will inform the textures used. Gabrielle Chanel apparently loved traditional Chinese artwork and dreamed of coming here, so I’m excited to see how that dream is brought to life."
As expected, on the the catwalk there was plenty of tweed, sometimes mixed with stockings covered in Chinese floral prints. It perfectly encapsulated the balance of timelessness and experimentation that Boynton described — and also felt exactly like something she might wear next.
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