Chanel Brought ’90s Hair to the Runway for Spring 2022

When Chanel started teasing its spring 2022 show on social media a few days ago, there was something familiar about the cropped, cinematic images of Swiss model Vivienne Rohner shot by Inez & Vinoodh. Her sepia-stained lids, natural skin, and jaw-grazing bob, as well as the overall Lindberghian quality of the black-and-white images, all struck a familiar, almost nostalgic chord. The deliberate act of subliminal messaging unfolded this afternoon when Rohner opened today’s show in a heavily accessorized, layered leotard look that could have easily graced the runway 30 years ago. The dots quickly connected themselves while Christine and the Queens’ cover of George Michael’s anthemic hit “Freedom ’90!” played: Virginie Viard is bringing back ’90s-era Chanel, and some of the decade’s best hair archetypes were along for the ride.

“Vivienne, with her bob, reminded me of some ’90s beauties like Linda Evangelista or a very young Kate Moss,” says hairstylist Damien Boissinot, who was tasked with letting individual models’ personalities shine through their hair, “while adding some ’90s elements.” With one of the best casts in Paris—which included Anna Ewers, Adut Akech, Grace Elizabeth, and Mona Tougaard— showcasing each girl’s natural beauty was a breezy task. But Boissinot’s light-handed nods to the past added to the throwback energy of a show that included—gasp!—smiles on the runway. 

Among the styling elements you can add to your fall mood boards now while waiting for Viard’s collection to debut early next year: Akech’s bouclé bow, placed just above the nape of the neck; Vittoria Ceretti’s and Jan Baiboon’s long, straight center parts; and Lexi Boling’s blue Chanel monogram baby barrette, which—by the grace of the retail gods—will hopefully make it to production. And then, of course, there is Rohner’s blunt bob, a more permanent commitment that Boissinot seemed to propose with the benefits of foresight: Rachelle Harris’s chin-length version offered a preview of the cut with a few months of grow-out.