In the gardens of the Palais Royal in Paris, South Korean singer and actor Jennie is dressed in a large navy coat, white T-shirt and jeans for the Chanel fall-winter 2025/26 pre-collection campaign. Earlier, in a Paris apartment, she blew kisses to the Vogue cameras in a light blue tweed jacket and skirt and then posed defiantly in front of the palace’s fountain, wearing a beret and a tweed jacket slung over one shoulder. A series of other very Parisian, and very Jennie, looks followed, each of them emblematic in their own way of the Chanel pre-collection, which, in a nutshell, “was created by Chanel using Jennie, the house’s ambassador, and the protagonists of American romantic comedies of the 1990s as muses.”
For Jennie, the 1990s are a special time. “I’ve been influenced by everything from the 1990s,” she says. She means “everything” literally—not only its fashions, but also its films, music, and art. In short, the decade as a whole. The collection embraces the same influences too. The Chanel Creation Studio has given an interesting twist to the masculine yet feminine styles that were worn by the stars of 1990s romantic comedies, like Julia Roberts in Notting Hill. The contrasting and opposing elements are evident in the broad-shouldered black jackets with belts, flared trousers with menswear tailoring, corsets reminiscent of men’s waistcoats and a navy jacket paired with shorts that has a certain military vibe.
Another theme is lace. One of the symbols of Chanel, lace lends a delicate and poetic touch to the entire collection. From silhouetted dresses to jumpsuits adorned with camellia motifs, detailed skirts and sporty white hoodies paired with floral tights, lace elegantly subverts stereotypes of femininity in unexpected ways. It also appears on tweed and knitted fabrics, reflecting Chanel’s soft and poetic sensibility. For the house of Chanel, lace is more than just a detail; it’s symbolic of both women’s inner and outer worlds at once.
In the end, the pre-collection is about more than just clothes, it is also redefining femininity. Ribbons and lace, tweed and denim, corsets and flared trousers, these disparate elements come together to create a new vision of femininity—sometimes elegant and sometimes more rough-edged, sometimes soft and at other times hard. This pre-collection is for all those “other women” who don’t easily fit into simple categories, and Jennie is an icon who represents that complex femininity.
In a behind-the-scenes film with Vogue, Jennie shared that, “every Chanel collection has an iconic woman as its muse, and it was such an honour to be part of the creative process, sharing my favourite things and my own style. Some of the looks are modern interpretations of Chanel pieces I’ve worn in the past and others are pieces that hold special memories for me. I wanted the collection to capture the appeal of contrasts. I love that Chanel has always celebrated the strong and assertive side of women, and I want every woman to be inspired to follow her dreams and express herself in her own way.” As the face and voice of this pre-collection from Chanel, Jennie shared her taste, style and perspective on women today exclusively with Vogue.
Ultimately, the Chanel fall-winter 2025/26 pre-collection is a story about women. How do you and Chanel see women?
We have a lot in common. We support all women and want women all over the world to be free to follow their dreams and do what they really want to do.
The campaign was shot with Craig McDean. What was the atmosphere like on set?
It was my first time working with him, and I was really impressed. I studied his work before the shoot, looking at everything I could find. He has his own way of making models stand out, and I especially fell in love with the way he uses colour. I thought a lot about how I could collaborate with him more organically and effectively. Once the shoot started, everything flowed so smoothly. It was as natural as if we had worked together many times.
The collection has a lovely 1990s vibe to it, like a romantic comedy.
I’ve always been inspired by the fashion, art, music and films of the 1990s, and Notting Hill is my favourite film of all time. The first time I saw it, I fell in love with the atmosphere, the colours, the music and Julia Roberts’ style. I still watch it every now and then when I have time. Her style is feminine yet boyish, romantic yet preppy, and I often think of her as a style muse.
Was there a look or detail from the collection that you particularly loved?
I really liked the denim looks and the ones that appear effortless. I love fashion and I love to dress up, but comfort is always the most important thing to me. Denim is casual and cool, so it’s always a staple in my wardrobe. I often mix and match it with different pieces. I also loved the ribbon details throughout the collection, which made it even more special because it’s so iconic of Chanel.
The key to the Chanel fall-winter 2025/26 pre-collection is the juxtaposition of contrasts: femininity and masculinity, classic Parisian looks and your own style. It’s what you and Chanel do best.
Chanel has always played with the contrast between femininity and masculinity, and I find that really interesting. It’s a brand that makes women feel confident when they wear their clothes, and they reinterpret that contrast in each collection, so it never becomes boring. This collection has the essence of Paris, which I love, but it also incorporates my personal fashion style from over the years. There were looks in the collection that I looked at and thought, “This is just like something I’ve worn in the past!” I felt that Chanel really understood my style.
This story was originally published on Vogue Korea.
